World on Fire
by ModestySparrow9
Summary: WAR OF THE WORLDS RobbieOC. Alexis is all that's left of her family after the tripod attacks her city, and when a family friend takes her in, she starts to fall for his son. But will they all make it to Boston alive?
1. The Dark side of Light

**Summary: Alexis Green was there when the tripod emerged from underground; she was there when it took away a loved one, and she was lucky to survive the first few minutes of the attack. But now, after being taken in by an old family friend, Ray Ferrier, she must depart the city and go with the Ferrier family to Boston, and she will do what she must to survive. Meanwhile, she is making friends with Ray's two children, and one of the, Robbie, starts to steal Alex's heart...**

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm Modesty, and I'm so excited about writing this story. I absolutely LOVED _War of the Worlds_, the movie, and felt inspired to create my own little Robbie/OC subplot, lol. First of all, Justin Chatwin (Robbie Ferrier) is and awesome actor, extremely handsome, and was the highlight of the film for me, lol. But I have to say, I loved the film anyways. **

**Please review, because it's important for me to know what people think. Feel free to leave me constructive criticisms, any ideas you might have, or just leave me a comment- all reviews are greatly appreciated, thank you. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own War of the Worlds, or any characters in this story except those of my own creation. H.G. Wells wrote the fantastic novel, and Steven Spielberg directed the phenomenal movie. **

**World on Fire **

**Chapter One: The Dark side of Light **

A veil of darkness hovered in the sky, turning the once midday sky into a false night. A rough wind poured through the busy streets, crowded with awed onlookers and curious citizens of the city.

A large swarming circle glowed brightly in the center of the dark grey sky, coursing and moaning like a breath before the storm. It was something Ray Ferrier had never seen before. Storms, yes, and hurricanes, perhaps on the television screen, but this was so close. The misty darkness almost seemed to be reaching out to his backyard. With a tight brow knotted in confusion, he took a step backward onto the crowded street. Cars had been stopped in the midst of travel and were scattered about randomly across the road.

Ray glanced around, skipping a few steps down the street. _Where the hell is that kid? _He thought, teeth gritted as his gaze shifted from left to right.

"Ray, Ray!" he heard a familiar voice call.

"There you are. What were you thinking!" Ray barked as his son walked toward him.

"Sorry, the car just stopped and I couldn't…" Robbie tried to explain.

"Next time you take my car, without a license, and without permission," Ray pointed a finger at his son and scowled, "I'm callin' the cops. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Robbie muttered eyes shifting downward. He could feel the anger against his father rising within him. Though, the seventeen year old had to admit, he was glad to be home safely after that strange occurrence on the road. He had been driving steadily through traffic when all the cars suddenly stopped, and as he wasn't an experienced driver, the event shook him up a little.

"Where were you?"

"Just down by the waterfront."

"Now get inside the house," Ray ordered, pointing to the tall row house on the right side of the road. "You're sister's in there."

Robbie kneaded the rim of his baseball cap with his fingers and frowned. Taking two steps closer to the house he hated.

"Now you stay there and don't leave, do you understand me?" he heard Ray call after him as his father kept moving down the street. Robbie understood just fine, but he didn't feel the urge to say anything to his father; he seldom did. Ray's blood boiled in his veins as his son stalled upon the road. "Robbie!" he smacked his hands together and shook his head with frustration.

"Ok, ok," Robbie picked up the pace and headed for home. As soon as he reached the steps to the front door, Robbie glanced up at the sky. His brow furrowed and he hugged his jacket tighter around him as an icy wind blew past. He looked in the direction of the wind, and again at the strange black patch in the sky.

"Robbie, come inside," he heard his sister, Rachel, call from in doors.

Breathing softly, Robbie opened the wilting screen door, and stepped inside his father's house for the last time.

"What was that, Audrey?" Alexis Green asked her step- mother.

The elder woman licked her lips nervously and glanced from the sky down to the small crater in the center of 17th Street. Her blonde curls swayed in the windy breeze. "I don't know Alex," she breathed.

"Come on, let's go home," said her step- daughter, gripping her shopping bag tightly with cold fingers. "I've had enough lightening for the day."

"Okay," Audrey answered, bewildered, and peering up again at the sky. "Let's go."

When the two reached their car, Audrey pulled her key chain out of her pocket and clicked the 'On' button. She clicked the button again. "Why isn't the door unlocking?" she asked no one in particular.

"Hey, look, Audrey," Alex pointed toward the street. "It's Mr. Ferrier."

"Hey, Ray!" Audrey shouted when she recognized the man Alex was pointing to. He was small figure in the growing crowd of bewildered townsfolk heading for the crater where all twenty-six bolts of lightening struck the earth earlier that day.

"Ray!" the woman yelled again, running towards him. Her step- daughter followed, unsure of the situation and thinking, _I just want to go home; I just want to be in my own bed. _

"Audrey," Ray turned to the right when he noticed his co- worker walk up beside him.

"Crazy weather we're having, eh?" asked Audrey with a grin.

"Yeah," Ray agreed, rather solemnly.

Audrey chuckled a little. "Ray," she said, making sure that her step daughter was beside her. "You remember my step- daughter, Alexis, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ray answered, glancing fleetingly at the dark haired teen who skipped in beside her step- mother.

Alex could see a crowd of people gathering near the hole in the road. She and Audrey came to a stop, but she could see that Ray wanted to see more than the backs of peoples' heads. She watched as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and listened as almost everything fell silent.

"What is it?" Alex heard a woman behind her ask.

"It's never happened before," she heard a man mutter.

"Now step back please," a police officer that Alex couldn't see was instructing as people came too close to the crater. Alex licked her lips with anticipation and glanced around her at the frustrated and impatient crowd around.

Ray knelt down beside the shifted gravel and picked up a chunk of debris from the lightening crash and held it in his hands. He took his fingers off every few seconds for the rock seemed to burn, but it was not hot.

"Is it hot?" he heard someone ask from behind him.

Ray eyed the piece suspiciously for a moment and then answered, "No; it's freezing."

Suddenly, Alex heard moans coming from somewhere, but it was not the voice of a human. "What is that?" someone asked.

"Is it the subway?"

"Maybe it's the water main."

"No," the policeman said. "There's no water main down there, or the train. There's nothing down there."

Alex glanced up at Audrey who seemed to be fascinated by the entire event, which was terrifying the girl. She thought about asking Audrey if they could leave, but then thought that to be childish, and at sixteen, she was no child. _The storm is over_, she repeated to herself. _Everything's fine now._

Suddenly, she felt the ground shift beneath her feet and more moans and groans sounded from below. "What is that?" she asked, but no one answered.

The earth shifted again and she could hear the road splitting in several places. The crowd lurched backward, throwing Alex off her feet. She fell to the ground just as the ground began to shift even faster. More than a dozen spider-web like cracks shattered the surface of the road.

"Alex, get away from there!" she heard Audrey yell. Alex looked up and realized that she had fallen on the curb beside an old building.

She watched in a daze as a large crack pierced the side of the building and lifted herself form the sidewalk just as the windows broke, glass flying and shattering all over. Alex turned her head to watch and felt the icy tip of a piece of glass chipped her cheek. She faced forward and shut her eyes as she bolted away from the sidewalk, running towards her step- mother.

When she opened her eyes, only seconds later, she could see a round, grayish figure rising from the depths of the earth. She looked around for Audrey and found her. As she ran toward her step- mother, she glanced back at the hole as nearly everyone in the road stopped to see what would happen next.

To Alex's sheer horror, from the ground rose a giant metallic figure nearly ten stories high. She tried to scream as the object took its first step on the road, but her throat seemed to be clogged with terror. She ran into Audrey's arms and couldn't help but stare at the magnificent, yet terrifying thing.

It rose and stood there for a minute, its body resting upon a tripod of long legs. "Look at that," Audrey whispered to her, amazed.

Before anyone could think, the monster raised its legs and began trudging slowly through the still crowded street. "Let's go," Alex said, turning. She knew Audrey wasn't following.

Audrey grinned. "Look at that," she repeated in amazement. "Wow, you don't see that every-"

A beam of light blazed through the sky, and then another, reaching out towards the earth. "Audrey!" Alex turned around just in time to see her step- mother burst into a grey, powdery ash and disappear forever.

Eyes wide and with a face pale as milk, Alex stood there. Her knees buckled beneath her and she hit the road hard. She soon became blinded by tears and shook her head to free herself of them.

Ray Ferrier, who had been hiding behind a car, ran forward out into the street. He had seen the death of his co- worker and friend, and he could see Alex sitting in the street all alone.

"Alex!" he shouted. The girl couldn't hear him. Before he could move forward, Ray jumped to the side, dodging a flying car.

All around him people were screaming, cursing and fleeing the streets. He ran as fast as he could to Alex's side and lifted her to her feet. Tugging on her arm, he turned to run.

The girl didn't try to slow him down. She blinked most of her tears away and focused harder on trying to save her own life. Her legs were weak and felt like strings of yarn, but her life was at stake, she realized.

"This way," Ray raced around a corner, Alex following obediently behind as the foreign tripod moved awkwardly through the streets, blasting citizens here and there, and turning once living people into dust and little more than a memory.

**A/N: Yay! It begins…I hope you all like it so far. Please review and tell me what you think. The next update should be in a few days to a week. I'm writing two other fanfics right now (King Arthur and Phantom of the Opera) so please be patient. Thanks! **

**Modesty **


	2. Innocence Lost

**A/N: Hey guys, just me updating again. Well, I took all your wonderful reviews to heart and edited all my chapters, and am taking a little more time to write them now, so updates will be about once a week, but under different circumstances they may be sooner or later. **

**Please continue to review because it really does make my day when I check my email and see all your great reviews waiting for me to open and read! Well, I've seen WOTW 3 times now, and have tried to memorize as much of the script as I can, but trust me, it's not that easy, so if I make a mistake or flaw you can point it out- I don't mind. I just wish I owned the movie so I can watch it all the time and have everything exact…Grrr…anyhoo, ttyl and enjoy! **

**Robinisawsome: Thanks for your review! I checked out your profile and we have a lot in common. You like the OC (as do I) and lots of other stuff…lol Viva La Bam! Ok, so that's just cool. **

**Vickitori: I know how you feel. I was hoping to find another story with a Robbie/OC or something but alas, I found none. If there was one I would read it though! Thanks for your review. **

**Dawnie-7: Thanks for the review. **

**Dishonesty: It's gonna get its own section? I guess that would be cool, but then would my story still be here? Oh well, lol. Thanks a lot for your review. It's true; I did really rush this chapter. I guess I just really wanted to get it out, but since I got several reviews that are telling me to slow down, I'm going to. Actually, I've re-edited all my chapters and made them much more descriptive, and I like them a lot more, so thanks for the advice. ;) **

**Vagrant Candy: I know what you mean, lol. I remember watching the commercials and thinking, 'Ok, he's cute' but now I see him and I'm 'OMG! I love him!' lol…but I'm not crazy or anything…lol. He's a good actor too. ;) **

**Sorceress Damia: Thanks for the review…Robbie's so coo' lol. **

**Ranger of Gondor: Cool name, by the way, lol. Anyhoo, thanks for the review. You're story rocks too! I know, I'm such a fan girl sometimes, but that's ok. Thanks for recommending my stories. And muchas gracias for the review! **

**RJ: Thanks…I was hoping she would. ;) **

**Live2sk8: I really want to take the time to thank you, because you really helped me out with your review. Not only was it the first, but it really got me thinking about rushing the chapters. I've re-written them pretty much and made them better, so thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it…so thanks. **

**Tess: Thanks for the review. Yeah, Justin is really cool. I'm actually not allowed to have a myspace account, and probably not allowed on there, but thanks for the invite anyways! **

**World on Fire: **

**Chapter Two: Innocence Lost **

"Did Ray yell at you?" Rachel asked when Robbie came in the house and sat down on the tattered couch.

"No," Robbie scowled, lifting up his feet and slamming them down on the coffee table. He pushed off a deck of playing cards and some sheets of paper with his heel and they fell, scattering on the floor like debris.

"You shouldn't do that," his sister admonished lightly, sitting down beside him. She held a yellow third place ribbon in her hand.

"What do you care?" Robbie scoffed. "This isn't our house."

"It's Dad's house," Rachel said with a frown.

Robbie glared at his sister, with little empathy, and slunk lower into the seat, glancing around for the remote, not wising to stare at a blank television screen any longer.

"It's right by your left foot," Rachel said calmly.

Robbie rolled his eyes and reached forward to pick up the remote, but stopped suddenly, leaving his hand dangling in the air. Rachel sat straight up, eyes wide and glancing around feverishly.

"What was that?" she asked of the loud sound they both had just heard.

It had sounded like a mix of thunder and an earthquake, and Robbie knew it wasn't a sound he was familiar with at all. "I don't know," he breathed, leaning back and swallowing hard. _Don't let it start again._

Then, a different sound reached their ears, only this time; it was a deafening roar, like a dying lion taking its last breath. The roar sounded again, and Rachel leapt up from her seat and raced to her brother's lap.

Robbie lifted his legs off the coffee table and sat up, his back against the back of the couch. Rachel squeezed her yellow ribbon with her fingers and held it close, as if it would protect her.

"I'm scared, Robbie," she breathed.

"Don't be," Robbie whispered back as the air was filled with the sound of crashing brick and breaking windows. Robbie still couldn't quite figure out what was happening, but he knew the sound was coming from the city. "We're safe here," he promised, half heartedly.

"Where's Dad?"

"He's gone, Rachel."

"Gone where? Where did he go?"

"I don't know, Rachel. He probably abandoned us." Robbie guessed with an evident sarcasm.

"He wouldn't do that, would he?" Rachel asked in a whisper.

"No," Robbie admitted.

"Good."

He could still hear something, a loud buzzing sound every few seconds; it was distant, but audible, and every time it sounded, it was like a frozen blade struck his spine and was drawn all the way from his low back to the foot of his neck.

"You're shivering," he heard his little sister say.

"No, I'm not," he said. "You are."

"Whatever," she replied softly, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Rae," Robbie began. Rachel, who remained in her older brother's comforting lap, turned her head to face him, her eyes large with fear. Remembering the lightening strikes earlier still frightened her. "Remember when you won that ribbon?" Robbie's voice was cool and calming.

"Yeah," Rachel replied gently. "I was riding Skippet." She slid her fingers across the fraying edges of the third place ribbon fondly.

"That's right; you were," Robbie said in remembrance. He grinned faintly, knowing that he had distracted his sister, even if just for a little while.

* * *

Neither Alex nor Ray spoke a word on the terrifying race back to Ray's house. Ray had known that Alex's dad was out of town, and he also knew she had no where to go, and as much as he wished he could, he knew he couldn't leave her on her own.

Without any words passing between them, Alex realized instinctively that Ray would look out for her. _He's probably saving my life,_ she realized. She frowned as she noticed all the ash that covered Ray's face and body. It wasn't just ash, she realized; it had once been people.

She felt sorry for Ray, knowing exactly what the grey powder was, and then she felt tears forming as she remembered watching her step-mother die. It was the worst day of her life, no doubt, but Alex knew how lucky she was that Ray was there to look after her.

It seemed that everywhere they turned there was destruction in the city. Buildings were, crumbling and spitting out flames, glass, and brick. Cars were being tossed like salad into the air whenever hit by a beam of light and would come crashing back down to Earth with large force that could kill.

Alex glanced upwards when she heard a car being thrown into the air. She could see it flying through the air like a helicopter, spinning back to the earth and landing just feet from where she had been standing, but she wouldn't stop running.

She could feel her body shaking and her breath quickened. Her palms were sweating, and the cut on her cheek stung like a paper cut. Her lungs and lower throat were aching with exhaust and heavy breathing. The pain filled her torso and upper body with a deep, hollow feeling and her sides began to sting with fatigue. Her throat was parched with dryness and her feet ached from running, but as Alex became aware of all these feelings, she knew she couldn't stop or slow down, or she'd be dead, just like so many around her.

Ray turned abruptly to the left, taking them behind a white-washed house on the outskirts of downtown, and that is where he stopped to catch his breath, Alex right behind him.

He leaned his back against the wall and carefully looked around the corner. Alex stood beside him, trying to slow her breathing, and her chest heaving.

_Come on,_ Ray thought, panting. _Where is it?_ He was searching for the machine, or the tripod as some would come to call it. Ray wanted to know where it was, so there would be no surprised found on the rest of the way home. _It's so huge, how could it disappear?_

As soon as this thought crept in his mind, he saw it. The tripod was made of some metal material Ray could not name. It could be a metal Earth was familiar with, and it could have been from somewhere entirely different.

The tripod appeared at once before Ray's eyes as it came crashing through a building that had been crumbling from a blast. Crimson bricks cascaded downward like a bloody waterfall, weighing tons and crashing mercilessly to the earth.

Then the tripod emerged from the forest of smoke and ash that followed, wading through the fresh tongues of fire and licked the darkening sky. It was taller than any building in the city, and rested upon three spider-like legs. Upon its head was a great burning eye- made with a glass-like material, and where it searched for its next and frequent victims. The body of the tripod was a silvery blue, and Ray noted how indescribably ugly it was.

Ray watched, still gasping for air, as the tripod's eye fell in his direction. The street was void of people, excepting a man who raced quickly past Ray and Alex, carrying a child in his arms. The tripod turned around again, and Ray held his breath as it slowly walked away from he and Alex in the direction of further screaming.

"Come on," Ray muttered to Alex, still staring at the tripod as its back turned to him.

_I don't want to go back there,_ Alex thought, but when Ray started running, she knew she had no choice but to follow or die.

As they both ran up the street, they had to dodge and leap over various scattered debris that littered the roadway and sidewalks. Cars, bicycles, pieces of cars and buildings and windows all made up the mosaic that had been made of the streets.

After another minute or so of fast paced running, Alex followed Ray to a much quieter and less debris filled part of town. Alex glanced around and saw several people, like she and Ray, coming in from the city and racing into their homes to their families.

Alex followed close behind as Ray skipped up a driveway and jogged, slowing his pace, up a short flight of stairs to his front door.

Rachel was waiting for him when Ray opened the screen door, and Alex hurried right behind. Alex noticed the little blonde girl looking at her strangely, before hurrying into the kitchen. _That must be Rachel,_ Alex thought. She had heard stories of Ray's children before, but had never met either of them.

As soon as she had the chance, Alex found a place to sit, and plopped down on a couch for fear of falling over. Her legs were wobbling by the time she sat on the less than comfortable and clean sofa, but at that point, it failed to bother her.

"What happened?" she heard someone ask Ray.

Ray ignored his son, Robbie, and sat down on the kitchen floor, leaning his back against the island, his mind filling with thoughts and not knowing what on earth to do with them. He could hardly think.

"Dad?" Rachel reached out to him with her hand.

Ray jerked away from his daughter's reach, ash darting into the air with every movement and he stared at Rachel cautiously and with a lost and confused expression.

"What's that stuff all over you?" Robbie asked.

Ray glanced at his son, eyes widening and stood up rapidly. Alex watched in silence as he stomped off into the hallway and bathroom.

After watching her father disappear again, Rachel turned to Alex, still holding the third place ribbon tightly in her grasp. "Who are you?" she asked calmly, yet warily.

"Alex," the girl mumbled. "You're dad…he…" she entwined her fingers with anxiety and looked up at the young girl. "He saved me," she concluded, breathlessly.

Robbie's brow furrowed as his sister stepped closer to the stranger. "I'm a…uhh…friend of Ray's," Alex finally added.

"Where are your parents?" Rachel wondered.

Alex shut her eyes to keep the tears from falling. "They're gone," she said quietly.

Robbie breathed quietly, feeling a cold sensation wash over him. Something wasn't right, he realized.

"Gone?" Rachel squeaked. "Gone where?"

"Wait," Robbie took a step closer to the couch where Alex was sitting, so many questions forming in his mind. "You said Ray saved you- from what?"

Alex looked up at Robbie, meeting his gaze for the first time, her lower lip quivering slightly. "The machine," was all she could manage to say before Ray entered the room.

Ray's grey shirt was stained with water and his face and ruffled dark hair were damp. His eyes were wide with fear, and the feeling of dread spread like a disease through the clustered room.

"We are leaving this house in sixty seconds," he said, heading for the kitchen.

He quickly reached in a cabinet and pulled out a large flashlight and an open pack of batteries. His hands shook as he grabbed the pack. Several batteries fell and dropped onto the floor, but two were still left in the package. Ray emptied them into his palm and dropped the package on the floor without care.

He then reached for a yellow striped cardboard box that sat on the island counter. It was full of small tools and supplies for fixing car parts so he grabbed it with one hand and quickly turned it over, dumping all its contents on the already trashed kitchen floor. Robbie took several steps closer to his father to see what was going on.

"Take this," Ray shoved the empty box into his son's hands. "Put all the food in here," he ordered hastily.

Alex glanced around the room and carefully stood up. "Ray, what can I do?"

"Uhh, just help pack food with Robbie," was Ray's replied. He then turned to his youngest child. "Rachel, go to your room and get your backpack-ok?"

"Ok," the little girl nodded and started for the stairs.

"Ray, what is going on?" Robbie asked.

Ray ignored his son and quickly followed Rachel upstairs to grab a few items of his own. Alex walked over to the kitchen while Robbie thrust the refrigerator door open and started throwing random items of food into the box after he placed it on the counter beside him.

Alex immediately started opening cupboard doors, searching for food and realizing that Ray wanted them all to evacuate the house as soon as they could before the tripod could find them.

Robbie tipped over the near empty milk carton carelessly and grabbed a bottle of ketchup that was lying on its side in the back of the fridge. "I'm Robbie," he introduced. "My sister's name is Rachel."

"I know," Alex said softly. "You're dad told me about you guys." Alex reached for a bag of popcorn and pulled it out of the cupboard. _Well, it's food,_ she thought, tossing it into the box.

"What happened out there?" she heard Robbie ask behind her. "The lightening hit…twenty six times…we counted it. Did you see where it hit?"

When she turned, he was facing her, staring at her with questioning eyes, and then he turned back to the fridge and continued scouting for food.

"I-I don't know what happened," Alex replied, still shaken.

Robbie looked at her again. "You have blood on your cheek," he mentioned.

Alex tapped her cheek with her finger where the glass had bit into her skin. She could feel that the blood had dried, but the pain was still there.

"Ray might have a first aid kit in the hall closet," Robbie suggested. "You want a band aid or something? He might not though. He lives by himself most of the time…"

"No thanks, I'm fine," Alex replied softly, returning to her work. "It's just a little cut." Robbie started collecting more food from the cupboards on his side of the kitchen.

Robbie wanted to ask more, but could see that Alex didn't want to talk at the moment, so he kept quiet.

"Alright, let's go," Ray commanded, walking into the room, holding Rachel's purple backpack in one hand and her hand in the other.

Alex met his worried gaze. "Where are we going?"

"The hell out of here," was Ray's answer. He dropped Rachel's hand a moment and ran it across the back of his head, ruffling his hair, and trying to think. "Okay," he picked up his daughter's hand again. "We're going to Mary Ann's' house."

Rachel's eyes gleamed for a moment. "Are we gonna see Mom and Tim?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Ray said, stepping closer to the front door.

Robbie almost grinned at the thought, but there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed to forbid him from doing so. Something didn't feel right to him. Not only did it not feel right, it felt deathly wrong. He slammed the refrigerator door shut and followed his dad, Rachel, and Alex out of the house.

Alex, along with the others, couldn't help but glance around as they stepped outside of the Ray's house. The street was packed with people, families leaving their homes quickly to put time and space between them and the city.

"What's going on?" Robbie inquired to no one in particular. No one answered him.

Ray led them across and down the street a ways to a local car shop where he worked part time. His eyes fell upon a lone blue van parked on the pavement and he headed straight for it with no hesitation.

Upon reaching the car, he looked around quickly and ordered, "Get in."

"Whose car is this?" asked Rachel, warily.

"Just get in," Ray answered, opening the sliding passenger door for her and tossing her purple bag inside.

Hesitantly, Rachel crawled in while Alex and Robbie walked around to the opposite side of the vehicle and opened the doors. Alex took a seat next to Rachel and Robbie sat in the front seat with his father.

As soon as Ray placed his hands on the steering wheel, he heard a knock on the passenger side window and turned to see his boss, Manny, staring at him. "Ray, Ray," he heard Manny calling.

"Open the door," Ray muttered to Robbie, who immediately did so.

"Ray, what the hell are you doin'?" asked Manny.

"Manny-" Ray began.

"The owner's gonna be back for this car Ray. What are you doing?"

"Manny," Ray started again. "Get in the car."

"What are you crazy?" Manny chuckled. Then he frowned. "Come on, get out of the car. Come on. This isn't my car."

"Manny get in the car!" Ray shouted helplessly.

"Ok, Ray," Manny said, seriously. "Get out of the car now."

Rachel's nervous eyes shifted from her father to his boss nervously as they argued.

"Get in the car Manny, or you're gonna die!"

Rachel's eyes widened. "What?" she screamed.

"Ray…" Manny's voice grew louder and angrier.

"Shut the door, Robbie," Ray ordered, giving up on his boss. "Shut the door!"

Robbie quickly grabbed the door handle and shut the door as Manny continued to pound his fists on the window. Ray turned the ignition, and the van's wheels spun as he shifted into gear.

Without haste, Ray pressed down hard with his foot on the gas pedal and the van lurched forward and began weaving in and through the heavy crowd that had gathered in the streets.

Behind them, Alex turned to see a dark cloud hovering in the sky, and a succession of flashing lights. "It's coming, Ray!" she warned, aloud. Rachel and Robbie turned in their seats to look behind them, eyes widening with horror as the tripod emerged over the hill, blasting its rays of light randomly at the screaming and fleeing crowd mercilessly, obliterating all in its path.

Rachel screamed once, after she had turned around, and then continued yelling at the top of her lungs.

Manny, who was still yelling at Ray, was gone in a second. Rachel gasped in horror as a beam of bright light hit the man, and he disappeared forever.

"Holy shit!" Robbie cursed with astonishment.

Watching everything behind her, Alex bit her lower lip. "Get down, get down, get down!" Ray shouted, turning the wheel sharply to avoid a collision with a group of people.

Rachel immediately dropped as low as she could to the seat, as did Alex.

The van swerved and turned as Ray honked the horn and flew past the crowd of running and terrified citizens on the road, fleeing for their lives. "It's okay, Rachel," Alex gripped the girl's arm gently. Rachel turned her gaze upwards and looked into Alex's eyes, but did not calm down. "We're gonna be okay, Rachel…"

Robbie glanced behind them and watched as his father's home fell victim to the large bridge that had once toward above Ray's home. The bridge collapsed as a long beam of light struck it, and came crashing down onto the row of town homes, and rolled onto the road with a huge explosion.

"Oh God!" Robbie exclaimed without thinking, turning back ahead of him.

Rachel sat up immediately and continued her chorus of screams and wails.

"Rachel!" Ray yelled, his eyes fixed on the road. "Rachel, I need you to be quiet!" The girl wouldn't stop. "Rachel!" Ray yelled as they merged onto the highway.

"Where's Mommy!" Rachel demanded, tears streaming down her face. "I want Mommy!"

"Tell me about it," Ray scoffed, Rachel still screaming.

"What was that?" Robbie asked, his heart beating faster and faster.

"I don't know, Robbie," Ray said, his eyes wide.

"Is that what you saw downtown?"

"Yeah."

"Where did it come from, Ray?" Robbie asked, rapidly. "I wanna know everything you know."

"I don't know anything, Robbie!" Ray shouted. "It just…came out of the ground and started blasting everything…killing everyone."

Without thinking, Robbie turned around to face Alex, who was starting to sit up. The two locked eyes and Robbie immediately understood why Ray had taken her in. He quickly turned away, seeing the regrettable pain living in her eyes.

That _thing_, whatever it was, he realized. Is what must have killed Alex's parents, he figured.

"Was it terrorists?" Robbie asked his father, trying to come to a conclusion.

"No, Robbie…this came from somewhere….else," Ray sighed.

"What? You mean like Europe?"

"No, Robbie!" Ray shouted. "Not like Europe!"

Robbie realized he was not going to get anywhere with his father and slunk back in his seat.

Rachel was still screaming, calling out for Mary Ann. "Rachel, shut up!" Ray called. "Rachel please, just…just for a minute…"

"You're scaring her!" Robbie turned around, face pale, his heart pounding in his chest.

Alex could tell he was trying to calm himself down, breathing slower and staring his sister right in the eye. Alex sat up. "It's okay, Rachel," Robbie assured her. "Remember your space?"

The girl nodded vigorously and held her arms out in front of her. "Put 'em up, Rach," Robbie said, holding his arms out and slamming both hands on the opposite arms. His sister quickly did the same.

"See Rachel?" Robbie tried to calm himself down. "You're safe in your space- ok? No one can hurt you in your space."

"Ok," Rachel whispered, breathlessly.

Robbie nodded. "I'm gonna go back to the front seat now, okay?" he said.

"Ok," Rachel nodded, breathing heavily and keeping her arms up.

Robbie turned around and sat back down in his seat. Ray glanced at his son. "What was that- What was that thing you did with her?" he asked, nervously.

"Sometimes when she's scared, she gets claustrophobic," Robbie

answered, leaning forward to peer out the front window.

He rested his left hand on the dashboard, staring out at the growing crowd of people, travelers, on their tiring journey out of the city and in silence; he watched and pondered many things.

_There's so many of them_, Robbie thought, speculating. Some were loners, others traveled in dense packs of families, friends and neighbors. Every so often someone would look up at them with envious eyes, and stare straight at Robbie, which unnerved him a little. They would stare and stare, and wonder why that van was running, and wish that they had a car.

Robbie could have sworn that in the look of one man's eyes, he saw hatred. The man wore a dark grey coat, and had cold, blue eyes. His woolly beard drooped long past his chin, and he traveled by himself; a lone wolf.

Robbie wondered what had become of this man's family, and pitied him. Was he always alone? Did he have someone he was going to, or did his family die tragically that day, like so many others? Part of Robbie wanted to know, and the other part didn't want to think about it, but the truth of the matter was, that everything he experienced today, along with half the country, and the world, was real. Everything was real- it all happened.

Thousands of people had died, Robbie wasn't sure, but he had figured as much. He remembered watching a short clip form the news channel earlier that evening. The reporter had said that something was happening in Europe-the Ukraine. _What did she say?_ Robbie thought…_There was a power outage, a black out…some storms. Everything had gone dark_….Robbie suspected that there must be some connection of the two events, one being in the Ukraine, and the other in his back yard.

_I hope Mom's okay_. The sudden worry for his mother filled in his head, and Robbie scowled. _And Tim. I hope they're safe._ But were they? Where were they? He realized he desperately missed Mary Ann, and his head began to throb. He closed his eyes and breathed softly, leaning back in his seat.

He glanced at Ray, who was concentrating on the road and on all the people that surrounded them. _Why did we have to be here?_ he thought, bitterly. _I should be with Mom, and Tim, and the baby. They need protection. Ray doesn't know what to do…he never did. _

His blood heated and anger filled up inside his lungs as he breathed deeply. _We'd be safer with Tim_, he figured. But could Tim protect he and Rachel better than Ray? He looked at his father again and this time Ray noticed and looked back, but said nothing, and then turned back again to the road.

According to his mom, Ray was a good man, and had lived a hard life, but just wasn't ready for the responsibility of having children. Tim, on the other hand, had grown up living a much better life with a wealthy family. He had been pampered and spoiled, Robbie assumed, for that seemed to be the way he was raising his own step-children.

Ray did get us this far, Robbie slowly came to accept. They had the only running car for miles, and they were all safe, at least for the time being. But was that enough? Ray was rarely there for his kids, and now, their lives were in his hands; his trembling hands.

"Robbie?"

Robbie broke away from his thoughts, startled by his sister's sweet voice. "Yeah?" he turned around to face her.

The little blonde girl's eyes were a bright blue, and filled with grief. _She's too young for those kinds of eyes_, her brother thought. "Can you sit by me?"

Robbie looked back at Ray, almost as if asking permission, which surprised him, because he knew he would do whatever he wanted, and didn't care what his father had to say.

"Go ahead," Ray answered.

"Alright," Robbie unbuckled his seat belt and shifted toward the middle row of seats.

Alex scooted over to the far right so Robbie could sit in between them. "Sorry," he muttered as he crawled into the seat.

"It's fine," Alex promised, making room for Robbie to sit next to her.

**

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope you all liked that. Please remember to review! Also, feel free to ask questions, make suggestions, etc. And another little note: Rachel had two nick names used in the movie; Rae and Rach, so I'll be using those in the story…thanks!**


	3. A Pocket of Pleasures

**A/N: You guys have really made my week. I love it when I open up my email and I have all these lovely reviews from you guys! Thank you SO much! Sorry it took me so long to post this. My beta is kinda slow sometimes…lol. Anyways, here's the latest chapter. The song in this chapter is called 'Cells' by The Servant. I just thought it sounded good for the scene, and the lyrics play an important message in the story too, so pay attention! In case if you've never heard it before, it's the trailer song from the movie 'Sin City'. So, I was listening to it over and over while I wrote so I decided to add it in, tehehe...hope you like! **

**JessykaSimmons: Thanks for the advice. I did my best. Hope you like it. **

**Jamamaimie05: Yeah, I'm excited about that part too. Have you seen the movie? I guess people who just read the book would get this story. Thanks for reviewing! **

**Dawnie-7: Thanks again for reviewing. I just kinda put myself in the characters' position, and I always think about tragic stuff in the present day to sort of, fuel my writing anger, if you will. Boy, if those aliens really did come down to Earth and started zapping people, I'd be upset too, lol. **

**Live2sk8: Thanks for the review! You're story's awesome too! Update again soon. **

**Tess: I'm actually surprised at how long this new chappie is. I hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you like the story! **

**Vickitori: Thanks for the review. Alex is kinda blending in right now, but that's because she wants too- she's kinda shy and quiet, but that should all soon change- as a War of the Worlds will change people. **

**Sorceress Damia: Lol, does your uncle look like Don Vito? That'd be funny. Yeah, I love Viva La Bam. Phil is so cute! Have you seen him on Celebrity Fit Club? He's like, the sweetest guy. Anyway, yeah, I thought Justin did an amazing job as a teenager. People are so stupid! Did you know he actually has a little sister that he really likes? I think that's so cute! Lol, I'm a blushing fan girl and I'm crazy. Besides, I think Robbie has an awesomely cool personality. He's a stubborn, feisty teen, but at the same time, a sweetheart who cares about his sister and others.**

**Vagrant Candy: Thanks for your reviews here and at The Mask and the Mirror. They're both greatly appreciated. I will go into further detail about what happens to all our characters throughout the story and I'll describe some 'interesting' events that you didn't see in the movie, lol. So, I hope you'll enjoy that! **

**Chapter Three: A Pocket of Pleasures **

"_On the city's skin the move on mass, like a rash on the back of a manky cat." –"Cells" by Servant. _

Ray couldn't help but sigh. He felt guilty. Guilty about so many things. As if his experiences with his children were bad enough; if they all lived through this, he knew this would always remain the freshest memory of a weekend spent at Dad's house in their memory… and in his.

"_Take care of our kids,"_ Mary Ann had said to him with a sweet grin before she walked away from him again. And Ray planned to- if it was in his hands.

He had so many regrets. He had always wanted to be their father, but never felt that he deserved them. As much as he hated Tim, he knew the kids were lucky to have a father figure around, since he hardly was.

Tim was rich, Tim was powerful, and Tim stole Mary Ann's heart. Ray was not rich. Ray was not powerful, but he and Mary Ann had loved each other once, and had at that time wanted to start a family. Now she was pregnant again, and adding to her family, without Ray.

Ray glanced in the rear view mirror at all three children in the back. He wished with all his heart things could have turned out differently. _The Red Sox would have one less fan, _he thought to himself with a faint grin.

But what could he possibly offer them- his children? His family and loved ones? He didn't have money, and wasn't successful, and he knew his family would be better off without him. _I made that choice long ago_, he reminded himself with remorse. _It was for the best._ But was it really? He felt as if he didn't know his own offspring, and knowing that is what pained him the most.

"Is everyone okay?" Ray asked.

"Yeah," said Alex, breathlessly.

"Me too," said Robbie. "Rachel?"

"Yeah."

Robbie glanced down at his sister who was resting her head on his left arm. Rachel drew in a slow, deep breath, and Robbie could tell she was trying to relax.

Rachel stirred uncomfortably in her sleep. Was she dreaming? Robbie wondered if he should wake her. What if she was having a nightmare? He thought about it, and then chose not to disturb her. At least she was sleeping; and Robbie knew that was a gift in itself.

He turned to his right and glanced at Alex, who was looking solemnly out the side window. He could see her hollow reflection in the glass, and frowned, wondering if she was thinking about her own family.

"Hey, Alex." She turned around to face him, black eyeliner smeared on the bottom lid of her eye; her soft cheeks stained with dried tears.

"Hey," she mimicked.

"I'm…sorry," Robbie muttered, thoughtfully. "About, your…" he tried to find the right words and hesitated from speaking more than once. "Your family."

Alex didn't respond for a moment, just thinking about what Robbie had said. "Thanks." She glanced upwards at Ray. "Well," she sighed softly. "It was just my step-mom, Audrey, and my dad…I think he's okay."

Robbie didn't say anything, just listened to the girl. "He left on another business trip two nights ago and wasn't going to be home until Thursday." Alex lowered her gaze. "I guess he's not coming home so soon anymore."

"Where did he go?" Robbie inquired, thoughtfully.

"Rhode Island, I think," Alex responded, quietly. "I'm not sure; he goes to so many places…it's hard top keep track."

"I bet he's worried about you," Robbie offered.

"You think people know what happened already?"

Robbie reflected on the news broadcast he'd seen earlier and cocked his head slightly when he answered. "Yeah, they probably do." He dug his hands deep into his pants' pockets and chewed softly at his bottom lip, which reminded him… "You hungry?" he asked casually.

Alex simply nodded, placing a hand on her cheek and resting her elbow on her knee. "I guess."

"I have some chocolate if you want it," Robbie offered, unzipping his grey jacket and reaching inside his inner pocket. When his hand came out again, he held half a Milky Way chocolate bar, still packaged in the wrinkled wrapper.

Alex chuckled and released her hand from her cheek. "How long has that been in there?"

Robbie smiled a little. "Just since this morning," he promised. "I ate half of it for dinner."

Alex looked up at Robbie with suspicious eyes, but took the candy bar gratefully. "Nice dinner. You sure you don't want it?" she asked.

"I'm not really that hungry."

"Thanks," Alex said softly, taking a bite from the bar. The sweet, milky chocolate had never tasted so moist and silky in her mouth and she savored every morsel.

"I don't know- chocolate usually makes me feel better," Robbie offered when he saw that Alex was enjoying it.

Alex chuckled softly. "I thought that was a girl thing."

Alex turned back to the window, nibbling silently on the chocolate bar. She couldn't keep her thoughts from Audrey. She could still visualize it all happening: the tripod rising from the earth, taking its first steps, blasting rays of light like a death machine. She could see Audrey's face, or what she thought would have been her step-mother's face just before she died.

_What does it feel like?_ She wondered. She wondered if dying hurt, or if Audrey even had time to realize what was happening to her while she died. Alex could only hope that Audrey hadn't felt any pain, and had died quickly.

Robbie could see from watching Alex in the window again that her thoughts were turning back to remorse. "Is it good?" he asked.

Alex was grateful for the end of silence, but it took her a moment to collect her thoughts and realize he was talking about the chocolate. She swallowed the bite in her mouth and said, "Yes, thanks," she nodded. "Red Sox fan?" she questioned, glancing up at Robbie's cap.

"Yeah," Robbie said, with a faint grin. "My mom's team."

"Cool."

"You?" Robbie inquired, sensing that Alex wanted to talk.

"Oh, uh," Alex picked at her brain for an answer. Truth be told, she preferred tennis to baseball. She tried to think of a team. Her dad watched baseball… "Cardinals…St. Louis," she finally said, nodding. "My dad's team."

"Yeah, they're pretty good," Robbie said quietly, and then added with a hint of mockery, "but the Red Sox are better."

Both he and Alex smiled, and probably for the first time in hours actually felt the smiles were well earned. "Well, to each his own," Alex said, grinning.

"Yeah," Robbie agreed, thinking of his dad and remembering the little game they played hours ago. It had not gone well.

"_Baseball season's over," Robbie said when Ray dropped a baseball mitt in his lap as he lay in his cramped bed. _

_Robbie glanced down fleetingly at the glove in his hand and frowned, then looked back up at his dad and got out of bed, following his father to the small plot of dying grass and weeds that was Ray's backyard. _

_The air was bitter cold and an icy wind began to blow. Robbie was thankful Tim had bought a nice warm jacket for him for his seventeenth birthday- the one was wearing now. Robbie put his Red Sox cap on with a silent pride, tipping the rim low to shade his eyes. _

"_Red Sox?" Ray inquired, but Robbie ignored him. _

_While Robbie stayed nearer to the house, Ray positioned himself at the other end of the yard, near the fence, and Rachel was sitting at a little wiry table on the patio playing with a pair of toy horses. _

_Robbie carefully pulled on the baseball glove and stood his ground, waiting for Ray to make a pitch. _

"_Your mom says you've got a report due on Monday," Ray reminded his son as he tossed the ball to his son. _

"_I'm almost finished," Robbie retorted, catching the ball in the glove and pitching it back at Ray. "Just gotta type it up." _

"_Yeah," Ray chuckled. "Bullshit." _

"_What would you know, Ray?" Robbie inquired. _

"_Well," Ray tossed the ball again to Robbie, who caught it. "Between me and my brother, we know everything," Ray answered, flashing his son a grin. _

"_What's the capital of Australia?" Rachel asked, looking at her father. _

_He glanced down at her and answered, barely catching the ball that Robbie cast at him. "That's one my brother knows." He threw the ball. _

_Robbie caught it and threw it back instantly with a slight grunt. "That's only funny the first ten times you say it." _

_Ray caught the baseball and threw it at his son with a heavy force. Robbie gritted his teeth as the ball hit his hand hard. _

"_Well, anyway, we don't send you school so you can just flunk out." _

"_You don't pay for it," Robbie said coldly. "Tim does." _

_Ray tossed the ball even harder the next chance he got. After Robbie caught it, he shook his hand that itched with the pain and grimaced as he tossed it back. _

"_That's only half of what's in me," Ray said, grinning slightly. _

"_Why do you have to be such a bastard, Ray?" Robbie questioned. _

"_Why do you have to be such an ass?" _

_This time, when Ray pitched the ball, Robbie didn't catch it. Instead, he dropped his hand at the last moment and let the ball sail right into the window behind him. _

_Robbie stood still for a moment, watching Ray's reaction as his father stared with a frustrated expression at the broken window. Robbie turned around to face his masterpiece then glanced back at Ray one last time before trudging back inside the house. _

"_That's not how you're going to get through to him," Rachel piped up, stroking the tail of one of her plastic horses. Ray glared at her, and made his way, slowly back inside. "Where are you going?" _

"_I'm going to bed," Ray answered, tired. "I have to work for a living you know." _

While this memory caressed Robbie's mind, Alex was to trying to relax and failing the attempt miserably. Part of her hated the silence that followed as Robbie took out a white mini iPod and plugged the headphones in his ears, and part of Alex couldn't find the energy to speak. Her head felt as if it was about to burst, and her tongue felt swollen in her throat.

Alex glanced at Robbie while he started pressing buttons and finding the right music he wished to hear, or at least distract his mind for at least the moment. Out of the corner of his eye, Robbie noticed Alex's fleeting glance. She had quickly turned back to the window and was silent, so Robbie let her be.

It was the second time she looked that Robbie took the headphones from his ears. "You wanna listen?"

Alex, who had been about to turn back to the window, froze. "Um, sure."

Robbie handed the iPod to Alex and she carefully took it. "Have you ever used one?" he asked.

"No," Alex answered, putting the headphones in her ears.

"Robbie leaned closer and took the iPod in hand. "Press this button to chose what song you want," he suggested. "And scroll down with this button…" Alex listened patiently as Robbie gave her the instructions.

She saw a list of songs come up on the iPod's dull grey screen. There were different song labels like Rock, Pop, Jazz, and several others. "Here," Robbie handed Alex the iPod again. "You choose whatever."

"Okay, thanks," Alex said, her voice timid. _Let's see_… Alex thought as she scrolled through the song list under the 'Rock' category.

She stopped scrolling when she reached a certain song title and clicked the tiny round button on the side of the iPod. The soothing melody of drums and the stringing of an electric guitar hummed in her ears. Alex started bobbing her head casually to the song "Cells" by _Servant._

As she offered her mind to the beat of the music, she tried to rid her thoughts of Audrey, the tripods, and of her father. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the seat, continually, and still very slightly, bobbing her head with the rhythm of the song.

"_It'll all click when the mortgage clears. All our fears will disappear_…" Alex could see Audrey standing there, back to her, looking up in awe at the foreign machine that towered above her. "_Now you go to bed; I'm staying here_…"

_I wish you were here, Audrey_, thought Alex, with a pained expression. She tried to push the thought out of her mind. _Relax_, she told herself. _Just breathe. _

She tried to picture better times; times when she was happy. Coursing through the remnants of her memory, she picked out the happiest of memories: The first was her father retuning from a two week long business trip- or at least that's what he had said he'd been gone for…Alex was never sure…

"_They annoy me, those who employ me. They could destroy me, they should enjoy me_…"

The wheels of the van rolled smoothly along the long stretch of highway as Ray kept his eyes on the road. There were fewer people on the road here; some bicyclists, and little more. Ray wondered if the nearer they got to Mary Ann's house, there would be working vehicles.

"_The sun goes up and the sun goes down. I drag myself into the town_…" Alex opened her eyes suddenly, the visions of her past turning yet again to the tripod. "_All I do I wanna do with you_." She glanced fleetingly at Robbie who was staring aimlessly out the window on Rachel's side.

"_Everyday I'm at my desk; at my desk I'm like the rest. All I do I wanna do with you…_" Alex quickly turned her head when she realized she was staring.

The image of Ray's home being crushed by the bridge fleetingly entered Alex's mind. "_On the city's skin they move on mass_…" She remembered feeling sorry for the mass of confused and homeless travelers that flocked like a river of people in the streets they crossed. "_Like a rash on the back of a manky cat." _

Rachel stirred again in her sleep and slowly her eyelids flipped open. She picked herself up and looked out the window, and then up at Robbie. "Hey, Rach," he greeted warmly.

She blinked at him sleepily. "Hey," she muttered, resting her head back on his shoulder and closing her eyes again.

"_The sun goes up and the sun goes down_…" Robbie sighed as his sister fell again to into a light sleep. "_I drag myself into the town_."

Alex blinked away stinging tears. "_All I wanna do I wanna do with you_._ I dress myself like a charcoal sketch. My eyes are brown and my hair's a mess…_."

Alex combed her side bangs back with her fingers, sighing softly. She turned to face the window and watched the blue sky up above. It looked so peaceful. "_All I do I wanna do with you. All I wanna do I wanna do with you. The sun goes up._"

Ray's face was a clear picture in her mind. He looked frantic, pale, and his hair was dripping with water. He had said that they were to leave his house in sixty seconds…Alex remembered.

"_The cells I am at the moment will soon die._"

_I don't wanna die,_ Alex told herself, shutting her watering eyes tightly.

"_But I will be here. Oh, I'll still be here_," the words echoed into her throbbing ears. "_The sun goes up_…" the thought of a rising sun in a world of darkness gave Alex a little hope. But then again, they were just lyrics. "_Everyday, everyday, everyday…_"

As the song came to an end, Alex sat up, took the headphones from her ears, and rubbed her puffy red eyes. "Here," she said, handing the iPod back to Robbie.

Robbie turned to face her. "You done?"

"Yeah," Alex muttered, unobtrusively. "Thanks for letting me listen though. I just don't wanna waste the batteries."

"Ok, cool," Robbie replied. He turned the iPod off and put it back in his pocket.

The sky was growing darker, and Robbie figured it would be nightfall by the time they reached his mother and Tim's house. He couldn't wait to see them, to make certain they were alright.

The further the highway stretched behind them, the more frequent the sight of cars became. "Guess nothing happened here," Robbie remarked.

He let out a small yawn, wishing he could fall asleep like his little sister. Alex looked down at Rachel as she slept. "She really looks up to you," she noted.

"Yeah," Robbie agreed. _Sometimes_ _I'm all she has._

"I had a brother once," Alex confided. "He was killed in a car crash eight years ago. I barely knew him."

"Sorry," Robbie told her.

"Well, I was like nine…and he had been away at college for three years, so I didn't see much of him anyway, really."

Robbie didn't want to think of what it would be like to lose a sibling. He glanced quickly down at Rachel, who stirred quietly beside him, nestling her cheek further into his arm.

"Do you play any sports?" Robbie finally asked, trying to ease the tension that he could still feel building in the solemn feeling van.

"Umm, I play tennis, actually," Alex said.

"Baseball," Robbie said of himself with a nod.

"You on the varsity team at your school?" Alex inquired.

"No, I go to a private school…no sports. I play with my friends though. Sometimes, during summer, my friends and I form our own little teams and get together and play at the park, but I never have gotten around to playing on an actual team for…years."

"Well that sounds like fun," Alex offered.

"Yeah, it is."

"My friend and I play tennis with teams sometimes at the courts, and we call ourselves the 'Dolphin Fins,'" Alex said, smiling.

"The Dolphin Fins?" Robbie grinned slightly.

"Yeah…well, Tiger Claws was already taken by the other team, and we felt we had to… one-up them." Alex and Robbie locked eyes a moment, and then Robbie glanced downward.

"Our teams don't really _have_ names," he informed Alex.

"It's probably for the best," began Alex. "Especially if you're as creative as us."

Robbie grinned faintly. "I don't think I know anyone who could come up with a name quite like the Dolphin Fins," he teased. Closing his eyes, he rested his head on the back of the seat. "I can't wait to be home."

Alex dropped her smile and said nothing- she no longer had a home. Just this thought made her feel weak in the stomach and she took a final bite of the Milky Way bar, grateful she had an opportunity to eat something. When there was no response, Robbie opened his eyes and sat up again.

Alex and Robbie both looked out the window several minutes later. They were in a small residential area, surrounded by fine looking homes on either side. Each two to three level house was bordered by a freshly manicured lawn and a green canvas boasting brightly decorative flowers and water fountains, reminding Alex of a gorgeous painting.

"Wow," Alex whispered. "You live _here_?"

"Yep," Robbie stated. "It's pretty cool."

Blinking her eyes wearily, Rachel sat up and yawned. She had been awakening and had heard part of the conversation and was too excited to be home to keep her eyes closed a moment longer.

"Are we home?" were the first words to come out of her mouth.

"Yeah, Rae; we're here," answered Robbie, grateful that his neighborhood had not yet been destroyed and his house incinerated. He smiled casually as the van carefully pulled into a slightly slanted driveway.

The car slowly rolled to a stop in front of a giant multilevel home, and Rachel sat up, her face beaming and her eyes widening. Nearly everyone in the car's spirits and hearts rose, except Ray's.

**A/N: So, what did you think? I'm so giddy! The next chappie will have more action, tehehe…I promise… Please review! Thanks so much. And in case you were wondering, Rae and Rach are Rachel's nicknames…but you probably figured that out already. **

**-Modesty **


	4. Close Your Eyes

**A/N: Several of you wonderful reviewers have brought up a brilliant point in the last chapter, and yes, the power was out, but by the time they reached the highway (which is when that scene was taking place) I figured some power would be restored (so the iPod would work), and if not, then I would just have to deal with it. Sometimes, continuity sacrifices must be made to have a good scene, and I'd rather have been wrong to have the iPod work, but have it work anyway because it was important to the scene. So yeah…lol…and that's that. Sorry if that's confusing, lol. It sounded better in my head…anyway, thanks for all of your opinions. **

**Jessyka Simmons: Lol, don't worry. I love any reviews, no matter what they say…as long as it's not bashing my stories, lol. Review any time, please. **

**Dawnie-7: Yeah, I wasn't originally going to add the flashback seen, but when I was revising the chappie, the words just flew onto the screen and I couldn't stop typing. I'm glad you liked the song. I was afraid of what people would think of it, but I loved it too much to leave it out, tehehe. **

**Jamamaime05: I started reading the book and it's completely different. It has like, two of the same characters, and I think the plot is a little different, but I'm sure it will be fun to read. I hope you put up your own story! I'm sure it'd be cool, I'll read it! **

**-s'morewhore: Yeah, I love that song. If you go to and type in Cells or The Servant, you can find and listen to it. It's an awesome song. **

**Tess: Thanks for the review! 8 times? You're so lucky…I've only seen it 3 times. Grrr…**

**Live2Sk8: Here is the real answer to your question…really, Alex is an alien, and she had magical powers that make the iPod work…jk…lol. Thanks for the review. **

**Chapter Four: Close Your Eyes **

The sun had set far below the horizon by the time the van rolled onto the pale pavement of a driveway.

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry," Rachel chanted, jumping slightly in her seat with anticipation as she glanced up at the large house.

The van crawled to a stop, and Rachel continued to bounce excitedly in her seat. Alex opened the door on her side and stepped outside, followed by Robbie as he took off his cap and put it on again facing forward. Ray waited in the car a moment, collecting himself before choosing to get out.

Robbie walked around the car and opened the door for Rachel. As soon as it slid open, Rachel hopped outside and ran up the driveway and the steps to the front door, calling for her mother and Tim.

Ray looked up at the large home with envious eyes and tried to shake off his distaste for Tim as he walked slowly to the front steps. It didn't appear to him that anyone was home, though the interior lights were still on. He wasn't even sure if that would be a positive or negative event at this point.

When Robbie reached the top of the steps, he bent over and lifted the corner of the welcome mat. He pinched a tiny spare key in his fingers and stood up. He was excited to see his mom and Tim again, but now that they were there, he wasn't so sure that they would be so lucky as to see anyone.

The house felt empty, no car in the driveway, and the lights were dimmed. When he placed the key in the lock and turned it, he heard Rachel urging him to go faster.

As soon as he felt it click, he put his hand on the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door inward. Rachel ran into the house as if her life depended on her speed.

When they were all inside, Robbie shut the door and looked around, his happiness waning as he began to doubt that anyone else was home. The house felt empty.

"Mom!" Rachel shouted, running into the living room and then up the long slender staircase and back down again, the straps of her purple backpack bouncing over her tiny shoulders. "Mommy!"

"Mom?" Robbie called. "Tim?"

Alex gazed around in awe. It was a beautiful home, with fine furnishings, and a soft yellow color lit the entryway and kitchen. Just to the left of the entry was a kitchen and family room; to her right was a large, neatly decorated living room, and ahead of her were the stairs.

Rachel called out for her mother one last time, exhausted from so much yelling and screaming.

"Nobody's home," Alex whispered. She followed Ray as he headed towards the kitchen, the small food box in his hands.

"Where are they?" Rachel asked, from the stairs, concerned. "Are they dead?"

"No, they're not dead. They're where they always were," her father answered with a sigh. "They must not have come home, and went straight to Boston."

Alex could see the great disappointment and worry that bloomed in Robbie's intense, sea green eyes when he became certain his mom wasn't home.

"How come the lights are on here?" asked Rachel, finding a seat in the kitchen on a bar stool. Robbie came and pulled out a chair next to her, and Alex sat down beside him.

It was Ray who answered. "Because nothing bad happened here," he said, setting the box on the counter and rummaging through it.

Ray stared at each item that he pulled out from the box, frustrated. "Ketchup, syrup, Thousand Island Dressing…" Ray noted all the items as he pulled them from the food box he had ordered his son to pack. "Good job, Robbie," he said with aggravation.

"That's all that was in your kitchen," his son said defensively, removing his cap and placing on the dark, glazed countertop in front of him.

Ray sighed and squeezed the edge of the countertop with his hands, thinking. Alex stepped over to the sink and opened the cupboard underneath it, finding the trash can there, and throwing away the empty Milky Way wrapper. Then she walked quietly back to her spot on the island and sat down.

Ray glanced around the kitchen for some inspiration and found a gigantic jar of peanut butter on the counter that he had pulled out from the box. He glanced around.

"Bread, bread," he chanted quietly, with something in mind. He found a sack of bread on the kitchen counter beside the fridge and placed it on the table beside the peanut butter. After opening the bag of bread, he asked if anyone was hungry. "Want some peanut butter sandwiches, huh?" No one replied.

Ray simply nodded and opened the jar of peanut butter. "Wanna see me deal?" he asked. Without waiting for, nor expecting any kind of answer form anyone, Ray began taking out slices of bread from the bag. "Later," he began, enthusiastically. "I'll teach you all to play poker." He smiled at the thought. "A fun game," he added, with false glee.

As he drew a pair of bread slices from the bag he counted, "Two for Rachel, two for Robbie," he glanced up at the kids only once while he was 'dealing' and then looked back towards the countertop and the food. "Two for Alex, two for me…" he picked up the lone slice of bread and held it as it dangled flimsily between his fingers. "And one for the house," he chuckled, tossing the bread onto the counter carelessly.

Robbie and Rachel simply sat in silence and watched as their father dipped the knife in the peanut butter, swished it around, and brought it back up. He began smearing it all across a piece of bread that he had named as being Rachel's.

With her voice monotone, Rachel said, "I'm allergic to peanut butter."

Ray chuckled. "What? Since when?" He looked up at her.

"Since birth," Rachel scowled.

"Alright, fine," Ray quickly improvised, handing Rachel a clean slice from his pile. "You can have the bread," he offered, patting the bread with the tips of his fingers.

He urgently continued spreading the peanut butter over the slice of bread he had started with. "I'm not hungry." Rachel glared at her father, but he either didn't notice, or acted like he didn't care.

"Alright then," Ray barked. "That's fine with me. Robbie, and Alex, and I are going to have peanut butter sandwiches. Robbie, you want jelly on that?"

"I'm not hungry either," he said, coldly.

"What, you too?" he looked at Alex.

Alex swallowed hard and just shook her head. "I'm not feeling too well," she admitted. "Thanks, though."

"Alright, fine." Ray slammed two buttered slices together and spun around, tossing them frantically at the window.

The peanut butter smeared the glass as the bread slowly dripped downward. Alex looked down at the black marble countertop. In truth, she really didn't feel like eating. She was surprised that she held the chocolate bar down, and peanut butter just didn't sound appealing to her at the time, but she felt sorry for Ray, whom she could see was having a tough time trying to deal with his own kids, let alone her.

Robbie turned his head and his eyes met Alex. "You can eat if you're hungry," he whispered, thinking that she had denied her portion because of him and his sister.

"No, that's okay," she whispered back. "I'm really not hungry right now."

"Well, if no one's hungry," Ray began. "Why don't we all go to bed?"

While Rachel fled to her bedroom upstairs to find her favorite blanket and pillow, Robbie led Alex to his sleeping quarters. The wall in his room was blue and red, and posters of rock bands filled them. Alex counted two _AC/DC_ posters, one for _Aerosmith_, and another for _System of a Down_.

"You can use this," Robbie tossed a tan colored pillow at her from his bed and picked up one for himself. He drew up a comforter of the same color from his bed and tucked the pillow under his arm. He glanced around the room for another blanket. "Here, take the comforter," he finally said, when he couldn't find anything else. "I don't need it."

"It'll be cold in the basement," Alex countered. "Maybe I could share with Rachel?"

"If you want, I guess."

* * *

Rachel had agreed to share her blanket with Rachel, and so, all three kids traveled down the stairs and towards the cellar, just as Ray had instructed. Ray led them down the basement, down a small flight of white stairs.

The room was brightly lit, filled with two bookshelves, some weight lifting equipment, and a storage area. "Nice basement," he commented with a hint of jealousy.

"If it's safe here, why can't we sleep in our own beds?" Rachel asked as she dragged her feet along the basement floor.

"You know when they have hurricane warnings on the weather channel, and everyone hides in their basement? It's kinda like that."

"I want to sleep in my own bed," Rachel complained. "I have back problems."

Ray ignored her and continued looking around, checking out the area he would be trying to sleep in that night. He glanced at a chair beside the stairs and walked over to it.

Robbie led his sister to a small space beneath the staircase and helped her lay out a soft pink comforter. "There," he said. "You can sleep here, okay?"

"Okay," Rachel said, and sat down, laying her pillow beside her. Alex laid her pillow next to Rachel and helped her smooth out the comforter on the ground.

Ray walked over to the light switch and turned off the basement lights, leaving everyone in darkness. Robbie dropped his pillow next to Alex's, where there was room.

He set his tan comforter on the floor beside Alex and took a seat. Ray took out a gun that had been wedged between his pants and his back and placed it on a small table beside a chair. He hoped he wouldn't need to use the weapon, but he also realized that it could be a life saver if they found themselves in a dire situation, and wasn't about to risk being without it.

He knew he wouldn't sleep much that night, and sat down, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible on the worn chair.

"Thanks for everything, Ray," whispered Alex.

"Uh-huh," Ray replied wearily.

After several minutes of silence, Robbie could hear his sister's calm breaths which indicated she was asleep. He was happy for her and jealous all the same.

Alex could hear him sit up on top of his sheets. "Robbie?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You awake?"

"Yeah," he answered, softly.

"I can't sleep," Alex said, frowning in the darkness.

"I know," Robbie answered. "Just try to keep your mind off it."

Alex thought about what Robbie had just said. _"Just try to keep your mind off it."_ How could she possibly do that? How could she not just think about what happened that day? About how so many people died, and alien invaders where probably trying to take over the world like some sort of cheesy horror film. But this wasn't cheesy, and it wasn't a film. _Everything that happened today was real_, Alex reminded herself, still not wanting to believe it.

"_Just try to keep your mind off it." _

Alex tried to reflect on a happier memory from her childhood, and when she found one, she grasped it as tightly as she could, not wanting to let her mind wander any further into the present.

She remembered her birthday two years ago; her step mother had given her a puppy, a little yellow lab she named Star. The happy recollection seemed to slip away from her grasp when she was brought back to the horrifying images of Audrey.

"I can't," she said quietly, her eyes prickling with the sensation of tears.

"Just try," Robbie repeated, patiently.

He had learned over the years, that patience and understanding were key to calming his sister during one of her many fits. Alex wasn't a little girl anymore, he realized, but she was scared and upset, and he didn't know how else to react. He had been faced with so many new feelings and emotions in one day and could hardly contemplate what to say to a girl who'd just lost her mother, even if she was a step-mother.

Robbie tried to remember how his mom comforted him when she and Ray's relationship fell apart.

"_Your father and I love you very much," Mary Ann had told him, her voice a soft and sweet tone that was always comforting to hear. "And just because we can't all live together doesn't mean he cares about you or me, or Rachel any less. It just means that…" she had bit her lip, trying to finish her sentence with the most understandable words. "We want different lives for ourselves." _

_Robbie sat in his bed, listening to his mom's calming voice, and trying to contemplate her words. He had only been twelve at the time, and though he understood the meaning of his mom's words, he still didn't understand why things had to be the way they were. _

Why couldn't things be the way they were before?_ In truth, things had never been great for their family. Ray was rarely at home; he was mostly at work, trying to make money for their growing family. _

"_Just try to sleep, darling," Mary Ann said, combing her fingers through her son's dark hair. "Now, lay down." _

_Robbie did so, bringing the edge of his covers up to his chin. "Things will get better, Robbie, I promise." _

_Robbie replied with a soft, "Okay," as his mother stood up and prepared to leave the room. "Mom," he said, stopping her. _

_Mary Ann turned around. "Yes, Robbie?" _

"_Sing for me…please." _

_Mary Ann smiled. "Honey, you've got to go to bed." _

"_Mom, please." _

"_Okay," she finally said, sitting on the edge of her son's bed and leaning closer to him. "What would you like me to sing?" _

"_Anything." _

"_How about Hushabye Mountain?" Mary Ann suggested, hopefully. _

"_I like that song," said a soft voice from the other end of the room, where Robbie's seven year old sister was lying in bed, awake. _

"_You, my little girl, are supposed to be sleeping," said Mary Ann. _

_Rachel fell silent. "Alright, Hushaby Mountain…let's see." _

_Rachel got out of her bed and crawled into her mother's lap. "_A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain softly blows o'er Lullaby Bay…"

"Sometimes, when Rachel's scared…or when I'm scared," Robbie suggested, tearing apart from his reverie. "My mom would sing to us…when I was younger."

"Really?" Alex grinned. "Audrey did that too. I remember one night, I had a bad dream and I woke up screaming. Audrey came into my room to see if I was okay and after I told Audrey what happened, she made me a bowl of ice cream to feel better…And when I went back to bed she sang to me." Alex smiled, reflecting upon the happier memory.

"Does food always make girls feel better?" Robbie teased. He laid back down, facing the ceiling, and resting his hands behind his head. "I wonder if we have any ice cream upstairs…"

A small blue light shown slightly through a tiny slot in the basement wall. There was a tree outside, with long, wiry branches that jutted out like thin fingers. A heavy breeze blew the branches into the wall, and as they rubbed against it, making tiny scratching sounds.

Ray had shut his eyes, resting his tired head on the chair, trying to shut out the noise. Robbie sat up, a pale blue glow shining over his face. Alex sat up too. "What is that?"

"It's just the branches," Robbie declared quietly, though he couldn't help but feel his heart pounding in his chest. Something didn't feel right.

The room was silent, except for the continuous scratching of the branches against the house, and Alex felt her skin grow cold. "Is it back?" she breathed.

All of a sudden, there was a terrifying banging sound, almost as if two saws had clashed together, and that sound was followed another just like it. Following those was a series of loud screeching sounds; a call, a wail, a terrifying howl.

Ray shot up out of his seat instantly, fixing his eyes on the little window as the branches clashed harder against the side of the house. Outside, he could see a brilliant white light glowing.

The light emanated into the room with such force, he assumed that its source had to be close. The beams of light spilled onto the floor like white water, all the way to Rachel's pillow and disappeared again with a flash.

Rachel sat straight up as the howling and screeching sounds continued. She grabbed the closest thing to her, which was Alex's arm and held on tightly as Alex stood up, standing Rachel up with her.

"What's that sound?" Robbie had to yell to be heard over the high pitched screaming and roaring.

"I don't know!" Ray yelled back. "I've never heard that before!"

Both Robbie and his father glared out the window at the bright white light with horror. "We have to get to lower ground!" Robbie declared, as the familiar sound of death rang over and over in his ears like a screaming alarm clock he couldn't shut off.

"They're here," Alex whispered, terrified and frozen in place.

"Robbie this is your house!" Ray shouted over all the noise. "Where do we go? Where do we go!"

Robbie's heart raced as he looked around the room. "Over here!" He shouted, jogging over to a closed door that led even further underground.

Rachel ran as fast as she could to Robbie's side, leaving Alex by herself. Eyes wide open, Alex stared, motionless, out the small window, mesmerized by the lights and echoing sounds.

Ray followed Robbie and Rachel to the door which Robbie quickly opened, ushering them all inside. Once he made sure Ray and Rachel were safe inside the room, he realized that Alex wasn't with them.

"Alex?" he called, not able to see her in the dark. A bright light flashed, almost like lightening, and lit up the basement. Robbie noticed Alex standing upright, eyes fixed on the window.

When he called her name, she glanced towards him, and almost as if she was in a trance that had been broken by his voice, she realized what she was doing. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn't move. She thought she was running, but she stayed in the same place.

The next thing she knew, Robbie had run up beside her, grabbed her arm, and was dragging her back to the door. His tight grip hurt, but Alex didn't care; he was saving her life.

Alex didn't know why her legs had suddenly decided to work, but they had, and she ran as fast as she could to the open door. Robbie waited until she was all the way inside before running in too, and slammed the door closed behind him.

Alex could hear the pipes whistling all around her. She felt as if she was in a web of pipes in the underground layer of some mechanical insect that would kill and consume her if given the chance.

She gripped the cold stone wall with her trembling fingers and had to feel her way through the darkness to find the others. She could hear Ray and Rachel breathing beside her heavily, and rested beside them while Robbie followed her.

Fear gripped Rachel's heart so tightly, she thought she couldn't breathe. "Are we alive?" she asked, almost breathless.

The only answer she got was heavy breathing. It was too dark to see, but Ray held Rachel in his lap, leaning his back against the wall and holding her close, so not to lose his only daughter.

Alex dropped to the floor, clutching her chest with her trembling hand. She closed her eyes; her heart feeling like it was about to burst. She could hear Robbie sit down beside her.

Rachel tried to stand up to find her brother, but Ray held her back. "Don't move," he gasped. "Nobody move….just…" he panted, his chest heaving. "Stay still."

**A/N: Ooh…exciting, jk. So, what did you all think? Please tell me, because every review is important to me. The next chapter is awesome, I promise! Thank you! Oh, and I just had a new person move in with me, so I may be a bit busy for a while, but hopefully it won't change my routine too much. If I do not update for a while, don't worry, I promise I will. **

**-Modesty **


	5. Sky on Fire

**A/N: Yes, I am alive. I'm so, so sorry for the delay. My computer crashed and I may have lost everything, so right now it's getting repaired. If it is, then I'll post the remaining chapters as soon as I get my computer back, but if not, I'll have to write them all over again and it may take longer for me to update. Right now I'm using my mom's laptop and luckily, I just found a chapter that I had printed out, so I can post at least this. I want to thank everyone who reviewed last time but I don't have time to individually thank everyone. I got some great advice last time so please give me more, thanks. And just to remind everyone, I will never abandon this story, so if there's any doubt, just know that I have reasons (even if they suck) for being late on updates. Thanks for your patience. **

**-Modesty **

**Chapter Five: Sky on Fire **

"_Down to the earth I fell, with dripping wings; heavy things won't fly. And the sky might catch on fire, and burn the axis of the world. That's why I prefer a sunless sky to the glittering and stinging in my eye…" –Nina Gordon 'Tonight and the Rest of My Life'. _

In the early hours of the morning, the sun carefully crept upward from the safe bed of darkness below the horizon and announced to all that was left of the Eastern United states that one more day had risen. Breaking away from a light sleep, Robbie opened his eyes.

A warm light was spilling onto the cold cement floor as he looked around at the distressed underground room.

His eyes burned with exhaust, and he breathed in the foul odor of smoke through his nostrils. Robbie combed back his ruffled, dark hair with a hand and yawned as he propped himself up, his back against the wall.

Rachel had spent the night curled up in his arms, but she had had just as little sleep as her brother, a full hour or two at the most.

Ray had held his only daughter tightly in his arms while the earth trembled under the merciless weight of the tripods as they trudged through the neighborhood, destroying everything as they went without stopping and after an hour or so, they were gone completely, an all the noise they'd carried had disappeared with them.

While her father's heart pounded, Rachel scooted from his loose arms and found her brother only feet away. He took her without any word and she sat right in his lap and it was there that she tried to sleep. The only sound left was the heavy breathing and a distant crumbling and crashing every now and then.

Robbie glanced around the destroyed room slowly, his eyes adjusting to the pale, yellow light. He noticed Alex sitting against the wall beside him, her expression placid and her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.

"Alex?" Robbie said quietly. This grabbed the girl's attention. She broke away from her daze to look at Robbie. "Where's Ray?" Robbie had also noticed that his father was gone. A hand of dread seemed to have reached out and grabbed him as he imagined the worst. _It's just Ray,_ Robbie reminded himself. And though he might not have admitted it to anyone, he had to admit at least to himself, that he was, even slightly worried.

"He left," Alex answered, her voice monotone. The moment she said this, Robbie started to pick himself up. "He went to check things out."

Rachel grumbled when she felt Robbie move beneath her. "I'm getting up, Rae," he informed her. Slowly, she stood, and then Robbie got up. He took a step forward, towards the door.

"What are you doing?" asked Alex.

"I'm going to get Ray," Robbie answered, casually.

"Ray said to stay here," Alex insisted.

"Since when do I listen to Ray?" Robbie smiled faintly, but Alex protested.

"Robbie, it's not safe out there," she stood up, preparing to block his way. He took several steps forward, paying no heed to her words. "Robbie, wait," Alex's fingers twitched; she wanted to reach out to him, to hold him back, but instead she let her hands fall to her sides. "Stay here. You don't know what's out there."

Robbie eyed her thoughtfully, but remained stubborn, as usual. "Well I'm not gonna wait here while Ray deserts us again."

"What?" Rachel squeaked, suddenly. Robbie turned around. "Why would he leave us?" Her eyes were beginning to prick with warm tears.

Robbie sighed quietly and walked to his sister who was staring up at him hopelessly. He picked her up and said, "I didn't mean it, Rach."

"Don't let him leave us, Robbie," the little girl murmured.

He set her on the ground, carefully, and again made his way for the wall, where the door had been ripped away. "Robbie, wait," Alex moved to follow him, but he stopped her.

"Robbie you can't leave me!" Rachel screamed.

"Alex, stay here with Rachel."

"Dad!" Rachel screamed and bolted for her father.

Ray's towering shadow loomed before him and slowly he made his way towards his son, his mouth agape with shock. Robbie stepped away from his father path as he approached and shot him a questioning glance. "What happened, Ray?"

"I can't…"Ray stopped abruptly and kneeled before Rachel.

Rachel stared at her father with terror in her soft blue eyes. She had her mother's eyes, and her mother's hair, unlike Robbie, who had always resembled Ray above Mary Ann, but looks seemed to be all that they shared to Rachel.

"Rachel," Ray said softly, trying his best not to reveal how afraid he was in his trembling voice. "Listen to me; when we go outside, I want you to look at me. You're going to want to look around. But you're not going to, are you?"

The little girl shook her head frightfully. That was enough promise for Ray. He carefully picked her up and held her in his arms. She stared at him, fearfully, looking for the comfort she would have found in her mother's eyes, but in Ray's she saw firmness, and a hint of fear.

"Keep your eyes on me Rachel, okay?"

Ray slowly walked out the door, entering the shattered and ruined basement and up the pale white stairs to the entry way. Robbie and Alex followed cautiously behind.

"Remember what I said. Keep your eyes on me," Ray chided, staring firmly into his daughter's eyes. She nodded again, keeping her faithful eyes glued to his.

Robbie took several steps into the kitchen and stopped. Alex came up beside him, both glancing around at what had befallen Robbie's home. Astounded and appalled, Robbie held his breath as he looked around.

Debris was everywhere; it seemed as if he was wading into an ocean of destruction. The entire façade of the home had been blown away; pieces and shreds of wooden beams and siding lay scattered across the hidden floor.

Robbie watched his step as he waded further into the mess_. This would have been us if we had slept in our own beds_, he realized with a lingering shock. Pipes spat up water from the kitchen sink and plates and glass had been strewn across the floor.

Robbie gazed upwards at the crisp blue sky. It looked peaceful up there, he thought. But on Earth, things were different.

Alex's jaw hung slack as she looked over the wreckage. She watched in silence as Robbie kneeled on the floor.

Robbie brushed his hand along the surface of a pile of debris and felt the smooth surface of glass. He picked up the tiny porcelain figure, holding his baseball cap with the other.

All that was left of the snow-white figurine was a chipped face. "This was my mother's favorite," he said, breathless, as Alex stood beside him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

The back of the porcelain head was merely a cavity and the cherub's body was gone. Robbie felt a fire of hatred burning inside him. He had to grit his teeth to keep from screaming in anger_. Mom's alive_, he told himself. _I know she's alive._

"Robbie," Alex said, softly. "We'd better go. Ray and Rachel are almost to the van."

Robbie abruptly drew himself to his feet and began to walk away. He put the cherub's soft face in his jacket pocket and kept walking. "Robbie?" Alex stopped him in his tracks and he turned to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod, and without another word, continued to walk out of the house.

It was difficult to see where the house met the front lawn; the debris covered it all. Suddenly, Robbie turned his head, and saw the front of a plane that had crashed into the home next to his. "Oh my God."

He placed both hands on the back off his head and strode further into the street, which he could see a little clearer. Robbie glanced back at his house once more. He found a place in the middle of the road where he could get a good view of everything, stopped, and turned in slow circles to eye his surroundings.

"Those _things_, those _machines_ were here…last night." he declared with anguish as Alex joined him.

"_They_ aren't," said Robbie, nodding to the empty shreds of housing that that were piled in rows along the street. "I mean, I had friends here…neighbors."

"I'm sorry, Robbie," Alex muttered a second time. _Now you get a taste of how I feel. _

"And what about them?" Robbie turned to face the remains of the plane, and its lifeless passengers which hung limply from their seats. Alex had to shut her eyes to hold back the tears. Her throat tickled with the need to cry, but she wouldn't allow it, not in front of Robbie. She needed to be strong for _him_ now.

Again, she placed a tender hand on his shoulder, and adorned a sad frown. "I bet…" she began, trying to sound hopeful. "Your neighbors, some of them must have left the town already. And some must have hidden in their basements, like us."

"If they're alive, where are they?" Robbie asked, doubtful of Alex's words.

The air around them burned with the stench of ashes, smoke, and blood. Alex wasn't sure if you could smell blood, but if you could, she did that day. Robbie smelled burning rubber and wood. They were horrible smells; twin to a horrible sight. But the sight was worse. The taste of ash lingered on Alex's tongue whenever she opened her mouth to speak.

She looked up the sky which was growing hazy. It glittered with a faint hazel hue, cast from the ashes and smoke from the houses and cars. The smoke burned her eyes as Alex stared all around her, still in shock.

"You're doing good, Rachel," Ray complimented as he skipped over the rubble and finally reached the van.

"Close your eyes, Rachel," he said, and she shut them tightly. He opened the van door and, with her still in his arms, he got in, sat down, and started the car after reaching in his pocket for the keys.

Alex turned her head towards the van as it rolled away from the driveway and headed for them. Ray slowed the van when he reached them.

"Let's go, Robbie," she said softly as she walked towards the van's door. She rolled it open and hopped in.

Robbie stood his ground. He couldn't know why, but he didn't want to leave; he didn't want to run anymore. "Robbie, get in the car!" Ray bellowed from in the car.

Hesitantly, Robbie picked up his feet and skipped around the front of the blue van opened the door, and got in. After taking a deep breath he turned to Rachel who was sitting in his father's lap as Ray drove. "Rae, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said with a nod, opening her eyes.

Robbie then looked at the Red Sox cap he held in his hand. _I wonder if I'll ever see them play again. _He put the cap on his head, backwards, and frowned.

"Ray, are you okay?" asked Alex, concerned that the man was too quiet.

"Yeah," he answered, eyes keen on watching the road ahead of him. His eyes were scouting ahead for any potential dangers.

"Robbie," Alex began, warily. "Are you alright?"

At first the boy said nothing. Then he finally spoke. "Yeah." It was hardly believable. The claws of weariness had gripped his eyelids, but he refused to shut them. There was too much going on around him, and the time and opportunity for rest as over. It would not come again for a while.

"You okay, Alex?" he suddenly asked in a quiet tone.

"Yeah," she answered softly. "I'm fine." Everyone knew it was a lie.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the short chapter, but I had to split it in half to spread it out over time, since I don't know when I'll be able to post further chapters. So look for the next update by sometime next week. Probably around the 11th or so. Thanks, and please review! **

**Modesty **


	6. Deadland

**A/N: Ok, so I lied…I was a little later than usual. My grand excuse this time? I was ill for a week, and have been busy otherwise. I never expected to have so much homework this year! I'm really sorry you guys! I thank you so much for putting up with my constant crap, but I'm trying really hard to post as soon as I'm able. I also lied about splitting these chappies into two parts; I'm gonna split them into three because I haven't the time to write another entire chapter right now…so please bear with me. **

**For all of you who want more Robbie/Alex action, I CAN promise you that it will be coming shortly. And for everyone who is waiting for more action that I've created and has nothing to do with the movie, that's all in this chapter, and especially in the next. There will be a big 'boom' or accident in the following chapter after this one…I'm going to leave you all in suspense, lol. But I can say this much: there will be extra, unexpected trouble for the Ferriers (especially Robbie) and it involves a 'bad guy' sort of…sp that's all I'm telling you and please please review! Thanks! **

**Chapter Six: Deadland **

Bodies. Everywhere. And where there were no bodies, there were clothes; empty sheets of cloth, leather, and denim. _Empty_, Alex thought. _Just like…_

A feeling of sickness swept over her, boiling in Alex's stomach as it churned uncomfortably within her. _Am I upset, or just hungry?_

She closed a shaky hand on her stomach, feeling still as nauseous as she had been when Audrey died. "Half the sign to Evergreen Heights is gone," Alex suddenly heard a cold, melancholy tone. It was her own.

Robbie turned his head and read what was left of the sign that once greeted him into the immaculate neighborhood. It was somewhat comedic, he thought, that half the words were either torn off the solemn grey stone and dangling, or missing completely and no where in sight.

Alex could hardly _read_ the sign, but she had recognized it from when they first had settled into Evergreen Heights.

The van's wheels spat and sputtered as they rolled over debris on the thick, black road. Averting his eyes from Graveyard Earth, Robbie looked away. First he glanced up at the roof, but that was pointless, so his fell to the road in front of them.

Up ahead, there was once a quiet little park. There was a magnificent tree stretching forth from the ground and green earth that held it in its place so tightly. Even through the storm, it had remained attached.

Beneath the rich, earthy soil, long, thick roots curled in a maze of lines, gripping with their talon-like arms to the safety of the underground.

Above the surface, the titanic tree was a blossom of crisp, golden leaves. Copper hands flapped in the breeze and were dispatched with the coming of the wind to be carried out into the wide, lonely world.

The leaves turned with the gently sways of the breeze and landed again, yards away from the port where they had taken the amazing flight.

As the van neared, Robb could tell that things weren't always as they seemed from so far away. The graceful giant was no longer whole, but broken at its thick, bronze waist.

The front half of a blue truck was imbedded in the heart of the massive tree, and the carpet of earth beneath the giant structure was stained with bits and shard of glass. A pool of thick, sticky oil, the color of darkness seeped from the side of the wounded tree and gathered at its visible roots like a tiny river of acid.

A pair of pink girl's pajama pants were scattered carelessly along a reaching limb of the tree.

_Rachel._ It was whisper, if the mind could whisper. And Robbie's heart dropped. He felt as if it had fallen from his chest and landed on the floor in front of him, and he cautiously brought himself to look at his sister.

She was still sitting patiently in Ray's lap. "Rachel," Robbie began, his voice soft, and courteous. "Go sit in the back with Alex."

Ray glanced at his son. "She's fine," he stated.

"Rachel, get in the back with Alex." She did as her brother bid. His voice had grown strangely demanding. Ray glared fleetingly at his son." She's safer back their," Robbie figured, glaring dangerously back at his father.

"Rachel, you okay?" Ray asked, impatiently.

"Yes," she answered, timidly.

After several long minutes of nothing but silence and fear, a small grumble sounded. At first, the tiny roar frightened Alex, who seemed to be the only one that had heard it, but when it growled again, Alex realized that the sound had not come from the lonely, outside world, or the fierce below of an alien machine; it had come from her stomach.

_I haven't eaten since yesterday_, she suddenly realized. On a normal day, she would have before now recognized her hunger, but in times like these, starving to death would be nothing to worry about.

_Is this the end of the world?_ Thought Alex in dismay. But she dare not think aloud; especially with Rachel sitting next to her.

As they passed through the suburban town, scenes of destruction lay before them. Robbie looked upon the scene with downcast eyes, soft and thoughtful with remorse and throbbing with pain. Everywhere he turned things looked the same; disheveled, torn, ripped and shredded into pieces. Buildings had become boulders and fences slender sticks of autumn colored wood.

Everything seemed to be dead; it didn't matter if it had life in it before the attack, but in those resent days, this town seemed so alive to Robbie. Now he felt like he was driving through a graveyard that yielded to no end.

His greatest fear was that his sister would share the fate of his friends. He wouldn't wish death upon Ray; not his own father, flesh and blood, but all the same, he couldn't say he cared much for the man. And Alex, he wished her well enough.

_She's been a good comfort_, he realized, turning back his head to glance at the girl who was sitting behind him, her eyes frozen and facing the window. Robbie knew the feeling, the urge to look upon the destruction again and again.

It was like watching a car crash. It was horrible, but you couldn't tare your eyes from it. A sudden, soft voice broke Robbie from his thoughts.

"I'm hungry," voiced Rachel, her vivid sapphire stare latched onto Ray and she wouldn't look elsewhere. "Dad, is there any food?"

Ray took a deep sigh. "No, Rachel, there isn't any food."

"I thought we brought food," Rachel offered in a hopeful tone.

"We left it at the house, Rae," said Robbie.

"Oh." Rachel stared at the floor a moment. "Well, can we stop and get some food. I'm hungry."

"Yeah, Dad," Robbie added. "We haven't had anything to eat-"

"Then maybe you should have eaten last night," Ray's voice cut like a knife through the thin air. "When we all had an opportunity."

"Don't give us your bullshit Ray," Robbie mumbled.

_He's like his father, Ray thought,_ gritting his teeth. _Always ready to pick out a fight. I guess that's my fault then, huh? _

"Stop it, Robbie," he began, his voice stern.

Robbie wouldn't let his father say anymore. "You can't make us starve. What are you gonna do?"

"Robbie," Ray breathed in heavily and glared for an instant at his son. "Watch your language in front of your sister…and stop fighting with me. I'm the adult here, and in charge."

"Like you were ever in charge, Ray."

Ray wanted to stop the car. Stop the car, and give Robbie a piece of his mind. He wanted to curse and yell and scare the hell out of his son, but he knew he couldn't. Nothing seemed to frighten Robbie, just piss him off, and he would never act so rashly in front of his daughter.

_This is all my fault, Ray knew. I should have been there with the kids…seen them grow up. Spent time with them. Maybe then they would…No. God damnit this is Mary Ann's problem. If she hadn't left me in the first place…_

"Dad, Rachel continued. "We need food."

"Jesus…" Ray muttered cold words under his hot breath. "Rachel, check in the back. There- maybe there's some food back there, alright? But we're not stopping."

Rachel glanced in the back seat swiftly and turned back to face her father, whose eyes were fixed on the road. "There's no food back there, Dad."

"Look," Alex piped up from the middle seat. "There's a grocery store up ahead. _Or what's left of a grocery store. _

Robbie leaned forward so he was able to see the remnants of the store's façade. He'd only been to _Joe's Market Place_ once; it was too far on the opposite end of town for his family to visit there often, but he went once with a couple of his friends.

"Stop here," he ordered.

"I can't do that, Robbie."

"Look, Ray; we _need_ food. We're not gonna go all the way to Boston without eating anything. You have to stop. Why won't you stop?"

Ray eyes the empty parking lot with his almond shaped eyes. "Because…." He started. "The minute we stop, people are gonna try to get in.

"I don't see any people," suggested Rachel as she looked around.

Look behind that school bus," Ray said, quietly.

Robbie, Alex, and Rachel all turned to the right where a long yellow bus lay on its side. Beside it were two young adults, sitting and sobbing by the corner of the road.

_Why hadn't I seen them before_? Wondered Alex.

They blended in carefully with the color of the bus and were both covered in riding gear. _They must have been bicycling when the aliens came._ The bus hid them.

Would it be so bad if they came to? "Our car's large enough-"

"I don't car, Robbie," Ray said clearly. "I'm sorry, but we can't take in strangers. We don't know anyone, and if they've survived this far…and it doesn't matter. We don't have time to stop this van, Robbie. Those…things could be right behind us-"

Rachel turned around and said, "I don't see any of them."

Ray pondered a moment on their situation and fiercely turned the wheel into the parking lot of the grocery store.

A bright smile bloomed on his daughter's face as Ray drove up to the curve. Little did she realize that her smile would shortly be a frown.

Behind the grocery building, a hand clutched at the red brick, stained with blood. Dark eyes were hidden beneath the man's bushy brows, and a look of terror swept over his face.

Breathing heavily, the man watched as a blue can came to a steady halt outside the store. His mind was boggled and he felt confused.

"I'll find my family," he grunted aloud, his hands trembling. "Sarah, Ashley, James, and Robyn. I'll find you…" his fingers grabbed at the still air, yet he caught nothing and his voice began to fail him. Something burned in his throat. "Our children, Amanda," he whispered to the spirit of his wife. No doubt she was dead, but his children would be at home, he knew it…he just had to believe it. "I'll find you," he said, his voice growing louder. "And I'll take you all away from here."

Like a cat on the prowl, he glued his eyes on the target: The Ferrier's car.

**A/N: Ooh…this can't be good. I smell a sticky situation! Please review people, I love reviewers. It really makes my day when you give me your opinion. And bless all of you who reviewed before. Luvs and Hugs! **

**-Modesty **


	7. Caught

**A/N: OMG you guys…so sorry! I've been so busy with school and have a lot of homework. Please forgive me and I'll keep updating! Also, I want to take this time to congratulate Tomkat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) on their pregnancy! (If it's not a hoax, lol). And for everyone who is a Justin Chatwin fan, I offer some news: He is signed up to star in a movie called 'The Pornographer's Poem, a Canadian film about a young man discovering his…er…body…So that's interesting. **

**Chapter Seven: Caught **

Opening the door, Robbie stepped out side. Ray glanced all around them as if he thought they were a fly in a spider web, waiting to be caught. A terrible feeling crept up his spine as the spider shortened the distance between he and his prey. Ray had been feeling the urge to move as soon as he stopped the car, yet he turned off the ignition, to save the declining amount of gas left in the car.

"Hurry up, Robbie," Ray called as his son slipped out of the car and strode towards the store.

As Robbie disappeared inside, Alex felt she was being watched. She turned her head slowly. "A man!" she managed to exclaim in awe as he staggered like a drunken fool towards the car.

As fast as he could, Ray's head was turned to the left. "Oh God," he muttered under his breath. The spider was gaining ground. The man tripped and stumbled over some loose rubble as he approached the car muttering under his breath.

"Who is that?" asked Rachel, innocently.

"Just lock your door, Rachel," Ray answered. "Lock your doors." There was an echo of snapping sounds as the van doors were locked.

"Why are you afraid, Dad?"

At the mere sight of the man, Alex's heart started beating. He looked intoxicated as he stumbled more and more, getting closer and closer to the van.

"Hurry up, Robbie," Ray glanced from the man to the grocery store several times, waiting anxiously for his son to appear.

"You!" Ray turned his head back to the man as he began running for the van, his arms flailing wildly in a drunken manner. "Stop! STOP!"

"What's this maniac doing? Are all your doors locked?" Ray asked, turning his head to glance quickly at his daughter and Alex.

Rachel nodded her head, furiously bewildered. "Yes, yes," Alex answered for them both. Alex glanced towards the door to the crumbling store and when she looked back, there was a loud _thunk_ against the side of the van, followed by a chorus open of ferocious knocks.

"Please!" the man cried, slamming his fist against the door as Ray looked at his bewildered and at a loss for words. "Please, open the door! I'm alone! Let me in!"

"I'm sorry," Ray replied, not sounding sorry at all.

"Dad, open the door!" Rachel shouted. "Open it, Daddy."

"Rachel," Alex touched the girl's shoulder lightly to calm her. "Don't be afraid, Rachel."

"Why won't you let him in, Dad? Just let him in."

"I can't, Rachel!" Ray bellowed, his frustration growing with every breath. "I don't know this man. What if he took our car?"

"You don't know he'll do that."

"You don't he won't."

"Just listen to your dad, Rachel," Alex suggested.

The man continued pounding and every time Ray shook his head, he would pound harder, until Alex could see his fists glowing bright red.

Robbie's fingers slid along the soft glass counter. In one hand, he held a bag of groceries that he had collected throughout the store. He glared at all the knives in the case with awe. The glass case had been broken, he could take anything.

Though no one else was in the store, he couldn't help but glance around just to make sure no one saw him steal the knives. _It's for our survival_, he told himself. _Just like the food. It's not like anyone's gonna notice if one is gone anyway._

He grabbed a knife with a tiny leather sheath; it was a hunting knife, he guessed, but he wouldn't use it to hunt any deer…

"Robbie!" Ray's voice was faint through the glass, but Robbie couldn't mistake it; his father sounded urgent.

Rushing, he put the knife in his pocket and trudged out the door. Immediately, he noticed the man outside the door. As Robbie stepped onto the road, the man suddenly realized his presence and seized the opportunity to attack.

He ran from the van towards Robbie. Robbie blinked, not sure of what was happening as the man rushed forward like a madman.

"Robbie!" It was a mistake, but Robbie couldn't but shift his gaze to his crying sister as she called his name. Suddenly, he felt the wind knocked from his chest as he fell to the ground. The man towered above him and grabbed his arm tightly. The bag of food had dropped to the ground.

Robbie kicked the man with his knee in the stomach and the slowly balding man forced himself off the boy. As Robbie stood, he reached for his arm again.

By the time Alex's hands were gripping the door, Ray had already leapt out of the car. I'll stay here, she thought, _unless they need me._ Her blood ran cold and her face was a milky white with fear.

Rachel was screaming Robbie's name and Alex then tried to hush her. Ray crept on the man from behind, aiming a blow at his back. The man fell to the ground, stunned.

"Come on, Robbie," Ray gripped his son's arm and headed for the van.

"Wait," Robbie pulled away to grab the bag of food.

They rushed back into the car as the strange man pushed himself off the ground. He was screaming as Ray turned on the van and began to drive away.

"Oh my god, Robbie are you okay?" Alex asked as soon as he sat down and shut the van door. He was watching the man stumble after them from behind.

"Yeah," Robbie wiped a spot of blood off his cracked lips."

"Here, I got some food." He was breathing heavily, his chest rising up and down. Ray was breathing hard too. Rachel kept quiet, still in shock, and listened.

Ray didn't even notice the deadly blade in his son's pocket.

**A/N: Review please! And I'll update sooner. Thanks for reading.** **The chappie will come hopefully** **by the end of the month. **

**-Modesty **


	8. The Little Things

War of the Worlds Fanfic

A/N: Hey guys! I'm soooo sooo sooo sorry for leaving you for so long! I feel awful, but I can't spend anymore time apologizing. Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for all the recent reviews, and I hope you guys like this chapter! I wrote it in a day just because I wanted to get it out already.

Since school started, I've been drowning in homework and have little time anymore (and energy) to write, so please forgive me for taking so long to update. I still don't have the DVD so my dialogue may still be off in later chapters and such, but oh well. Thanks again for all the reviews, they do keep me going. And please review again! Mkay, bye!

- Modesty

**Chapter Eight: The Little Things **

Robbie fingered the blade of the knife, running his hands down the side of his pocket. He could feel its sharp edges through his thick pants. The knife's blade was sheathed in a small leather casing. He glanced placidly out the window, staring out at the rolling fields around them.

They hadn't been driving for very long, just long enough to reach the outskirts of the city. They were almost in the country now; it was eerie, for Robbie, to not see any other people, houses, or cars for so long. If he looked behind him, squinting his eyes, he could see the distant tops of houses near the mouth of the horizon, but elsewhere, there was no other sign of human life, or any life for that matter.

There were no birds in the sky, no rodents scurrying up thin trees as they passed in their van. In the back seat, Robbie could hear his sister grabbing at a box of cereal he had packed in the grocery bag. Once opened, she began digging her hand further and further into the bag, dishing out handfuls of fruity flavored flakes and cupping them to her mouth.

Rachel ate as if she had been starved, and after she had had several handfuls, Alex reached into the box as well. Her empty stomach was soon filled with the dry flakes, but it felt so good to Alex. A slight smile broke upon her lips. _It's these little things_, she said to herself. _That will keep us alive, for now._

"Does anyone want any cereal?" she asked, calmly.

"Yeah, sure," Ray answered; his eyes stiff and sore from watching the road so intently. He was waiting, expecting any minute for something to happen, for some evil to occur…for _them_ to come into view over the horizon.

Robbie let go of his pants pocket and glanced over his shoulder as Alex passed the cereal box into the front seat. "Here," she said as she handed the box toward Robbie who then reached out a hand to grab hold of it.

Alex gave him a soft smile and then he turned around again. He dipped his hand eagerly into the box and when it emerged again, he was clutching as much of the dry flakes as he could, stuffing them irresistibly into his mouth.

Casually, he tipped the box towards his dad.

"Hey, thanks," Ray commented as he took a swift look at the box, and reaching down into its pleasuring depths. "You know," Ray continued, still holding a handful of cereal in one hand and driving with the other. "I'm glad you're…" his voice broke off as he searched for the words. "You're okay." Robbie glanced at his father, sheepishly and with a slightly withheld look of disgust. "I mean, Jesus, Robbie. That man back there was a…a psycho…What I'm saying is…that I'm just glad you're okay. We're all okay," he added with emphasis. "That's what's…what's important right now."

"Are we gonna be in Boston soon?" Rachel asked suddenly. "I want to make sure Mom and Tim are al okay too."

Ray frowned. _Why does everything in these kids' lives have to revolve around their mother? I'm here too. Well, I guess I really haven't been…_

"Dad?"

"We'll be there soon, Rachel," he told her, though he wasn't sure what else to say. He knew that they were still at least a few more days away from Boston, and in those days, he knew not what would await them. He didn't want to dwell on it either.

Alex frowned as well, remembering her own missing parent. Was her father okay? Was he well? Hurt? Alive? Thinking of her? Missing her too? If he was dead, how did he die? When? Was he alone?

Tiny warm droplets formed in the corners of her eyes and slid down her warm cheeks. She shut her eyes tightly to withhold them, but it was no use. Her tears paid no heed to her closed eyelids and came tumbling down anyhow. She turned her head away so Rachel could not see them, and let out a muffled sob.

Robbie was chewing quietly on more cereal when he turned around to face his sister. "You still doing okay back there?" he asked, after swallowing.

"Yeah. How's your lip?" Rachel asked.

Robbie touched it softly. It still hurt, but not that much. "It's fine," he told her. "Alex?"

Surprised, Alex began wiping away her tears. "Yeah?"

Robbie had to only look at her for a moment when she turned to him to see she'd been crying. Her eyes were slightly red and glossy with tears. "How're you doing?" he asked, with sympathy.

"I'm fine," Alex answered quietly. "Thanks for asking."

"Here's the cereal," Robbie handed the box over to her. Alex smiled a little as she took the box and placed it carefully on her lap. To avoid Robbie's eyes, she stared down into the box which was already nearly empty. "You can finish it off for us if you want," he added kindly. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"I'm not either," Rachel said, trying to be helpful.

Alex smiled again. "Okay, thanks," she said. "Maybe we should save some for later."

"We have more food," Rachel suggested, pointing at the brown paper grocery bag that lay at her brother's feet.

"Yeah," Robbie agreed. "We have some poptarts, top ramen, bottled water…"

"Top Ramen?" Alex smiled again.

_She should smile more;_ Robbie was surprised to find himself thinking. _She's so much prettier when she smiles._ _Well, she's already pretty,_ he thought again, correcting himself. Then he shook his head slightly to keep the thoughts away.

"How are we supposed to make top ramen?" Alex asked, her tears drying.

Robbie couldn't think of an answer. He hadn't even considered that. He just saw it in the aisle and grabbed the closest box.

"We can make it when we get to Grandma's," Rachel suggested with hope in her smile.

"Exactly," agreed Robbie, glancing at his sister. "We'll make some when we get to Boston."

"I miss Mommy," Rachel added.

"I know, Rae," Robbie patted her knee gently. "But we'll be in Boston soon."

"Yeah, Rachel," Alex found herself helping. "We'll be there in no time." Rachel looked warm and snug in her bright purple jacket, its furry hood warming the back of her neck.

"Robbie?" Rachel's small voice sounded even smaller when she was scared. "Do you think Mommy is okay?"

Alex could see the light slowly seeping from Robbie's eyes. All in one moment, he looked older to her; more tired, and perhaps even more scared himself than he had ever been before. It was always on his mind, always on everyone's mind. _How fare the ones closest to us? Are they alive?_

"She's fine," Robbie said, sounding more exhausted than he allowed himself to look. He just wished she would stop bringing their mother into the conversation. He didn't want to dwell on her fortunes, though he only wished for the best, and he greatly missed Mary Ann.

The muffled voice of the television seemed all too natural for Mary Ann by this point. The news reporter's face was grave.

"Reports say," the woman continued. "That towns north and south of the border have also been subject to these otherworldly attacks…"

The woman's long blonde hair was unkempt and her eyes were puffy with fresh tears. She placed a trembling hand on her swollen belly. She was sitting on a long, red sofa in the living room of her parents' town home in Boston.

"It's all right honey," though Tim was standing right behind her, his hands on her shoulders, Mary Ann could hardly hear him, and his grip wasn't as comforting.

"I want them back," she replied, distantly. "I want my children."

A/N: for all of you who have a myspace, my name is Lil Kitten! So find me if you want to! Ok, bye!

-Modesty


	9. Desperate Situations

**Chapter Nine: Desperate Situation **

**A/N: **Asyou've noticed, my posts have been delayed, so I'm really sorry, but I've been really busy this year and will continue to be until summer. If you want, it'll be easier to add this story to your alert list and then you'll get an email every time I update. Also, I haven't had this properly edited yet, so if there are mistakes, just ignore them…sowy…Anyways, here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy.

-Modesty

Robbie leaned sideways in the car, resting his arm on the interior padding below the window. They were traveling on a dirt road, one less traveled, and Alex wished she could see people again. She missed people, civilization, more than she could ever have though possible. The sky was a hazy blue, and Rachel was leaning forward.

The country road looked so lonely. All there was to accompany its desertedness were a small sum of barns and silos sprinkled across the open fields. "Where are we going?" Robbie broke the long breath of silence.

Ray glanced at him fleetingly, and then turned his eyes back to the road. "Boston."

Robbie glared at the man beside him. "Why don't we just take the turnpike?" he jousted bitterly.

Ray glared back. _Why can't he just learn to trust my decisions?_ "Because I don't want anybody else knowing that we have a working car," he began with an aggravated disdain. "I figure if we just stay on these back roads for a while, then find a ferry or something; we can cross the river into Connecticut."

Defeated, and not ready to admit it, Robbie folded his arms across his chest and leaned back. "Whatever, Ray."

In that moment, something in Ray snapped. His grip tightened on the wheel and his nostrils flared. "You know what?" he shouted. Alex sat quietly, listening. "Stop it with Ray, _shit_, okay? From now on, it's either, Dad, Sir, or if you want, Mr. Ferrier." He let go of the wheel to move his hands quickly in the air. "That sounds a little weird to me," he admitted with an exaggerated nod. "But I'll get used to it." He placed his hands fiercely on the wheel.

Robbie reversed his slinky posture and began fidgeting with the radio tuner. At first there was static, a muffled signal, and then a robotic voice, seemingly void of all remaining humanity. "This is a radio broadcast test; if this were a real emergency…" the sound was muffled again. Alex broke out a small smile.

Rachel leaned back into her seat, her knees bobbing up and down as she fidgeted with her gloves. "I want Mommy," she addressed. Alex glanced at her, pitying her need for Mary Ann, and remembering an almost forgotten mother of her own.

"I know, Rachel," Ray tried to sound comforting, but failed miserably. There was a tense quality to his words that made Alex shift in her seat.

"I miss Mommy."

"Tell me about it," Ray scoffed.

"Dad!" Rachel's shrill voice cut through the tensing air.

Ray sighed, "Yes, Rachel?"

Rachel's legs began to squirm. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Hesitantly, Ray pulled the van onto the side of the road. Before anyone got out, he looked in the back seat and said, "Now, look; there's two things we need to be careful of, and one is people who are going to want to steal out car."

"No one's around, Ray," Robbie stated irritably, as he opened up the passenger door. Wanting a break herself, Alex quickly unbuckled herself and jumped to open the door. Rachel rushed out after her, as did Ray, and Robbie.

Like a wild animal caged and set loose, Rachel fled from the car, her skinny little arms flailing about her tiny body.

Ray stood tall. "Right there's fine," he told her, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Rachel stopped running to turn towards her father. "Are you crazy?" she wondered. "I'm not going in front of you guys!" She turned on her heels a second time.

"Well, then go where I can see you!" Ray offered, hopelessly.

Without turning, Rachel screamed, "That's looking!"

Robbie sat down beside the edge of the road, pulled his knees to his chest and gazed across the wide field and the outskirts of tall trees. He thought he could hear the soothing voice of a river flowing nearby, but it was too far to tell.

Alex stood a foot away from him, letting her arms fall to her sides. She bit her lip a moment, watching Ray stock through the grass towards the tree grove where his daughter had wandered.

Then she folded her arms. "What do you think will happen to us?" she found herself saying.

Robbie glanced up at her, squinting his eyes from the sun. He looked back down at the gravel beneath his shoes and didn't know what to say. "I dunno," he finally answered, chewing on hi slip. "I guess we're going to Boston."

Alex gazed at the fields around her. Boston was almost a home to Robbie and his family. She could never go home. "I don't know what I'll do when we get there," she spoke delicately, every word hanging from her lips.

Robbie peered into her deep, hazel eyes. "You can stay with us if you want," he offered with a hint of a smile. "I'm sure Ray won't mind," this time he did smile as he began shifted the weight of his cap over his eyes. "My mom would like to meet you," he stated kindly.

Alex felt herself grinning. Then she suddenly remembered her father. "You're lucky to have both parents," she said softly. Robbie looked like he was suddenly about to complain, but when she opened her mouth to speak again, he held his tongue.

"I know you don't have much respect for Ray," she began. "But he did save my life, and he's saving yours too."

Robbie didn't want to believe her, bit Alex was right. "Ray's an idiot," he scoffed. "He'll probably get us all killed before anything. Besides, he doesn't really care about me or Rache; he never really has. After my mom left him and met Tim, he hasn't wanted anything to do with us."

Alex opened her mouth to speak when suddenly she was interrupted by a jolting sound. Instinctively, she turned around to face the road behind her. Clouds of grey dirt rose like puffs of breath above the road, and a long train of military vehicles started their way.

Alex calmed herself; _it's only people._ She looked back at Robbie who had gotten to his feet and, moved to stand at her side. "This is my ride," he breathed, excitedly.

Alex glanced at him, but before she even realized what he'd said, Robbie was gone, making flight down the road to join the oncoming trucks.

Alex's heart skipped a beat as Robbie jumped to one side of the road and began flailing his arms as the trucks quickly passed by. "Hey, wait; stop!" she heard him scream.

The men on the trucks either avoided Robbie's eyes as they passed, or stared though him with hard, unmerciful eyes. It became clear to Alex that they had no intention of stopping, whether Robbie wanted it or not.

Robbie's arms were flailing. "Take me with you!" he shouted, hopelessly. "I want to go with you!"

"Robbie, stop it!" Alex screamed, as she ran up beside him. "What are you doing?"

He turned to her quickly. "I can do more than this," he told her, and then continued shouting as the vehicles passed lazily by.

_What does he mean? _Alex thought_. Do more than what? What more can you do, Robbie. We're not heroes. You're not a soldier. _

"Stop PLEASE!"

Robbie took a step forward, not looking where he was going and stepped right into a puddle. As the trucks passed by, they sprayed him lightly with muddy water, coloring his jacket with wet streaks and stains.

"Go home, kid," a light-haired soldier called, chewing on a stick of gum.

Suddenly, Ray was running towards them. "Hey, what are you doing?" he shouted at Robbie.

Robbie pointed at the trucks. "I'm going in that direction!" he proclaimed.

Ray could feel his cheeks flushing red with heated anger. "There's nothing _living_ in that direction!" he shouted. "What do you want to do, Robbie?"

Robbie's whole arm shook as he yelled at his father. "We get back at them!" he exclaimed heatedly. "We go, we find them, and we get back at them!" his words were muffled by the moaning of the military trucks and the splashed their large black tired made in the folds of mud. Robbie answered his father one more time, "We get back at _them_!"

Alex could feel her eyes swelling with tears. "We can't, Robbie; they'll kill us."

He didn't hear her, or chose to ignore, for he said nothing. Ray hesitated a moment. "Okay," he scoffed bitterly. "Let's try one that _doesn't_ involve your ten year old sister joining the army!"

Robbie stopped yelling at the men in the trucks to face his dad. "What do you care!" he wondered. "You never gave a _shit_ before! The only reason you chose Boston is because you hope Mom is there, and if she is, you can dump us on her, and then you'll be on your own again, because that's exactly the way you like it!" His whole chest rose and fell with every heavy breath as he stared Ray right in the eyes, challenging him dangerously with his theory.

The last truck whizzed passed, and Ray could only stare, blinking at his son. Her eyes wet with tears, Rachel flew to Robbie's side, and immediately began pounding on his chest. "Where are you trying to go?" she cried. "What are you trying to do!"

Robbie glared at Ray a long time before facing his sister again. Then, he gingerly picked up his sister in his arms, and began carrying her towards the car.

Ray glanced angrily at Alex, and saying nothing, she followed Robbie to the van.

**A/N:** Yay! A chapter done! Aren't you proud of me? Lol, anyways, please drop a review because I have to say, everyone that I have gotten and keep getting is what keeps me going. Thanks.

And now for replies to those reviews:

**Adonica**: Thanks a lot for you're review. I'm glad you liked it so far.

**MuMmIeImIsSyOu:** Thanks for the review.

**Jamamaime**: Thanks for the comments, as usual. 

**Kat:** Haha, thanks so much for your review. Yeah, I don't like stories that rush things too much, but its hard to keep that balance. I'm glad you like it though.

**VagrantCandy:** Yay! The next chappie will be pretty intense Robbie/Alexness lol. I can't wait to start writing it.


	10. Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

**A/N: Late again…errr…well, here it is. There's a little Robbie/Alex action in here, but it'll get better next time lol. Um, anyone here going to the Underdogs tour to see Fall Out Boy and The All-American Rejects? If so, please tell me how it goes! I wanna see it so bad! Lol. Anyways, read, enjoy and review please! Thanks. **

**Chapter Ten: Cold Hands, Warm Hearts **

Almost thirty minutes had passed before the mood had calmed. Robbie stared blankly out the passenger window, his cheek resting on his palm. Rachel had been sleeping for several minutes, and Alex felt her dreary eyes drooping. She felt a small hunger in the pit of her stomach, but had no appetite she could find.

Ray shifted his glance from the road to Robbie, and said, "Hey." Robbie lifted his head and looked blankly at his father. Ray wet his lips. "I've got to shut me eyes," he said calmly. "Why don't you drive a while?"

Robbie was shocked, but the idea was so incredulous he didn't even look at Ray. "I don't have a license," he pouted.

Ray smiled hopefully, "When has that stopped you?"

Alex smiled. _Well,_ _at least they're working on it._ She watched quietly as Ray pulled the van over on the side of the road, and Robbie took his place at the wheel.

Before the hour was through, Ray was asleep, and Robbie and Alex were the only two awake in the van. Alex's mind was bulging with memories she didn't want to reveal even to herself. She wished she could see her dad. She missed him; and the rest of her family. She missed her classmates, her school, shopping at the mall, and playing tennis with her closest friends.

_Robbie's so lucky_, she found herself thinking. _So is Rachel_. She glanced at the sleeping girl and frowned, wanting what they had; a family that survived.

Her thoughts turned back to Robbie. "How do you like driving?"

Hesitantly, Robbie answered. "It's cool," he said, eyes on the road. "I've driven a lot," he added with a grin.

"The sun's going down," Alex determined with a quick glance through the back window.

"Yeah," Robbie agreed. Then, looking through the rear-view mirror, his eyes met with Alex's. "You look tired," he noticed. "You should get some sleep."

"I tried," Alex told him, wearily. "I just can't anymore."

Robbie fixed his eyes again on the road. "I can't either."

By nightfall, there were people around them. Alex hadn't seen any signs of where they had driven, but they were coming close to a town. There were very few stars in the sky, but those that shone sparkled like diamonds on a velvet curtain.

The weary groups and families of walkers multiplied as the van slowly neared the heart of the city. Robbie glanced through his window to see an elderly man with a shopping cart, bundled up in a rain jacket with a load of puppies whimpering and tail-wagging in the cart.

A light rain was falling, catching on the edge of the earth and clinging to the cold faces of the men and women who traveled in the autumn bitter cold. Alex could see a woman beside the van with dark blonde hair, carrying a baby at her chest and holding another child's hand as they walked into the darkness. She frowned, pitying those poor wanderers.

The crowd of people was growing; Robbie licked his lips. He glanced at Ray a little worried. "Ray," he said softly. "Ray." His dad didn't move. "_Dad_."

Abruptly, Ray opened his eyes and sat straight up. Immediately, he realized why his son sounded so concerned when he called his name. With lust in their eyes, people began glaring at the van and the family inside.

"Okay," Ray glanced at Robbie who without words received the message. "Keep your foot on."

Rachel, awakened, watched the crowd as they began closing in on the van. Maneuvering himself, Robbie started shifting to the passenger seat, obediently holding his foot on the gas pedal.

Ray did the same as their positions shifted. In a moment, Ray was again in the driver's seat. "Hold on, hold on; okay, let go, I got it," he chanted.

Robbie huffed as he sat back in his own seat.

"Please," Ray said, quietly. "Get away from the car. I'm sorry- I can't. Please get away from the car." Alex glanced out the window just in time to watch a man shrouded in darkness raise a large rock in his hand and cast it at the window of the van near Rachel's head.

"What do they want?" Rachel shrieked, frightened.

Ray bit his lip with anger. "A ride; they just want a ride," he told her. Rachel's bright blue eyes widened as her little heart started thumping. She looked at her dad. "Can we give him one?" Her voice was cracked with sheer fright.

Ray ignored her, focusing gall his attention on the road ahead and the people around him. Suddenly, a thunderous banging was heard all over the van as the crowd moved steadily in on them. Alex bit her lip, worriedly.

Two men started banging on the car window by Alex's head and one leapt onto the roof with a loud bang. Alex gave a short scream then tried to collect herself. Ray pushed a little harder on the gas with his right foot, causing the car's engine to rev and rumble.

Inside the car there was silence, but outside, there was only commotion. Mounds of people had closed the path of the van around all sides and Ray was wondering what to do.

Ray honked the horn, sounding a loud blast to alert the crowd. As his path begun to clear, the car jolted into a higher speed, and before Ray could know what was happening, a single woman stood in the middle of his path, carrying a baby in her arms.

As the headlights spread across her frightened face, she screamed, and immediately Ray swerved the van as far away from her as he could. It all happened too fast.

Before Ray could even move his foot from the gas pedal to the brakes, the van spun, colliding with a giant lurch into a nearby telephone pole. Both Rachel and Alex made small screams as flashing red sparks poured into the air from the impact point. The van had stopped completely, and gathering raids of followers were pounding their fists against the outside of the car.

One man jumped onto the hood of the van and punched a small hole through the glass. Rachel screamed as the man reached his hands into the hole and began ripping flesh and glass from the car, blood dripping like a waterfall down the window.

Alex's heart pounded as items were being thrown at her and the car. "Belts off!" she heard Ray scream. She obeyed his orders immediately, unbuckling herself from the seat and reached for the door handle.

She was reaching for Rachel's seat belt when suddenly the door opened and she felt a tight grip wrap around her slender waist. "No!" she screamed as the man behind started shoving his way into her place.

Robbie leapt out of the car. "Get off her!" he screamed, ripping the girl from the man's grip. "Rachel!"

Rachel's hands shook as she hurried to unbuckle herself. Robbie's hands gripped the man's arm and with a large tug, he pulled the man free of the car. The man swung around, hitting Robbie in the nose. Blood spurted from his nostrils.

Alex could scarcely hear. "Robbie!" she screamed in horror as he caught himself. Again, he grabbed the man's arm, and this time, Alex began pounding her fist against the man's neck. Ferociously, the man backed away from the car, swinging at Robbie again, but this time, Rachel flung her fist against the back of his neck, Robbie kicked him in the knee, and yelling, the man fell to the wet ground.

All that hung in the air were screams and tension. Ray was out of the van, fighting off others who tried to claim it. Robbie could see Ray fighting off his attackers and being pulled farther away from the van. He tried to make it closer to his father, but kept getting pulled down.

Alex stayed close to Robbie. Suddenly, she felt his cold hand take hold of hers and he drug her through the crowd towards his father. "Hold on!" his scream was muffled in the sounds of shouting and panic.

Robbie pushed passed people as they began mobbing the car, and Alex felt her hand squeezing Robbie's tighter than she thought she would. Suddenly, his cold hand didn't feel so cold, and she felt a surge of energy pass through her.

Robbie finally reached his dad when a man leapt on Ray's back. Angrily, Ray screamed, and letting go of Alex's hand, Robbie leapt on the man, hitting him with both fists. Alex joined him, kicking the man in the back of the knee hard so that he fell. Stopping to breathe, Alex felt her body weakening.

Suddenly, she felt another's arm grab her by the shoulder. Quickly, she turned around to stare in the face of another man. He seemed more confused than trying to harm her, but all the same she spat bitterly in his face. Grumbling the man wiped off the spit and raised his hand to slap her when he was abruptly torn away by the pulsing crowd.

Rachel turned around, "Robbie?" she called, though she suddenly didn't see him. "Robbie!" Her cries were lost in the heavy crowd.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air, and all else fell silent. _Oh God_, Alex thought her heart would burst with fear. Then she relaxed, as a path cleared and she saw that it was Ray holding the gun high above his head. As the crowd pushed away from Ray Ferrier, Alex could see the grey smoke curling and rising from his revolver and she was suddenly thankful for guns.

Slowly, Ray lowered the gun to eye level and the crowd took several steps backwards as he began aiming it around the circle of desperate people. "Where's my son?" Alex heard him shout. "Where's my son?" Alex's breath quickened as she looked around for Robbie.

_Oh God_, she thought again. "Robbie?" he voice was shaking.

Hearing her voice, Ray turned. "Alex," he commanded, "Come here."

Swiftly, Alex ran to his side. Surprisingly, he grabbed her, shoving her into his arms. "Are you okay?" She nodded repeatedly and he let her free. "Where's Robbie?" he shouted a third time.

A small patch of people began to back away from a crumpled figure on the ground near the edge of Ray's circle. Blood streaming down his nose, Robbie started to get on his feet.

Alex rushed to his side, grabbing his arm and helping him up. His face was patched with streaks of blood, some his own, and some belonging to others, and his dark hair was wet and tangled above his head.

Ray lowered his gun as Robbie stumbled, shaken by his obvious beatings, and Ray helped Alex lift him to a stronger stance. Alex's heart continued to pound as she closed her fingers around Robbie's fist.

**Adonica: **Yeah lol,Alex ispretty much an "outsider so she can see in their little family circle much better than Robbie can. It's sad, lol. But maybe he'll learn.

**Californiasmurf**: Yeah, I try lol. I'm glad you think I'm doing well. Thanks for the review.

**Kat:** Lol, sorry for the wait.

**-s'morewhore**: Oh I know, I hate that. When you're reading someone's story and all of a sudden two words are the same. It's annoying lol. Sorry. I read your story and I think I reviewed. Lol, but I don't think you've updated in a while? Lol. Do that.

**Saint Dezzie**: Haha thanks. Sorry for the wait.

**Rea Josette:** The Robbie/ Alex action should come shortly, as there was a hint of it in this chapter. It will get better though, lol.

**VagrantCandy**: Errrr….sorry this is late again. It took my editor forever to read it I swear! I was finished with it like, two weeks ago. Well, thanks for your constant reviews!


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